The WNBA Class of 2025 is already making its mark on the league, with first-year players stepping up and showing out while the Rookie of the Year race — and betting odds — heat up.
No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers has been just as good as advertised, with the Dallas Wings guard leading her class in both minutes played and points per game while also charting league-wide in assists per game, steals per game, and mid-range shots made.
DraftKings currently has Bueckers as the clear WNBA Rookie of the Year race frontrunner at -1,000, though the dynamic DC duo of guard Sonia Citron (+1,500) and forward Kiki Iriafen (+1,000) are quickly gaining traction.
Iriafen won May's WNBA Rookie of the Month award after a series of career-opening double-doubles, while her Washington Mystics teammate Citron has continued to execute in the clutch — most recently posting a career-high double-double performance of 27 points and 11 rebounds in last Sunday's 91-88 overtime win over Dallas.
"Not only is [Iriafen] holding her own, she's excelling," Citron told JWS earlier this month. "And seeing that is just incredible."
"Soni just does all the little things," Iriafen added. "She doesn't shortcut anything, she's doing the fundamentals, she doesn't cheat the game at all."
WNBA rookies like Paige Bueckers — the overall No. 1 pick at the 2025 Draft — touched down in Dallas on Wednesday, tipping off a new era of Wings basketball ahead of next week's team training camp.
"There is a lot of new in this organization, so to be a part of something where we can build with each other and create a new sisterhood, we're really excited," Bueckers said at the Wings' introductory press conference.
"Plus, we got these hats, the cowboy boots — we're ready to invest all of ourselves into Dallas," she added, flanked by fellow Dallas rookies Aziaha James, Madison Scott, JJ Quinerly, and Aaronette Vonleh.
2025 WNBA rookies gear up for team training camps
The coming season's training camps officially begin on Sunday, with a new generation of WNBA stars landing in their pro markets this week.
"I'm excited to be with everyone on this team," said Bueckers. "We've got some dogs. I'm excited to build that in camp, build the passion, build the excitement of a new system, a new coaching staff, a new team."
"Everybody's been so welcoming," No. 3 overall pick Sonia Citron said about her new home with the Washington Mystics this week. "And you can really tell the culture that they have here."
"I'm not new to having to learn a new system, and a new coaching staff, and new teammates," said two-time NCAA transfer Hailey Van Lith, who went 11th overall to the Chicago Sky following a breakout final college season with TCU.
"My mindset going into any team is, 'How can I help this team win?'" added Van Lith. "I'll figure that out very quick, I'm assuming."
"I'm really grateful to be part of this organization, especially with so many people that have poured so much into this," said Kaitlyn Chen, a surprise third-round pick by 2025 expansion team Golden State. "And to have this much support coming into such a tough league means a lot."
The new pros will have to get their bearings quickly, as May 16th's season tip-off — and the unavoidable roster cuts that come before it — are fast approaching.
The WNBA announced Thursday that Indiana guard Caitlin Clark is the 2024 Rookie of the Year, giving the Fever back-to-back ROTYs after Aliyah Boston's 2023 win.
Nearly mirroring Boston's unanimous election, Clark garnered 66 of the 67 votes. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, whose season was cut short due to a wrist injury, received the remaining first-place vote.
"I am incredibly honored to be named Rookie of the Year, but more than that, I am grateful to everyone that supported me throughout this past season – my family and friends, my teammates, the Fever organization and everyone that cheered us on all season," Clark said in the Fever's statement. "I am so proud of what we accomplished and so excited for what the future holds."
Clark's rookie season is one for the record books
This year has been all gas, no brakes for the 2024 WNBA Draft's overall No. 1 pick. During the regular season, Clark led all rookies in scoring at 19.2 points per game and topped the league with 8.4 assists per game and with 122 total three-pointers.
In July, the 2024 All-Star became the first rookie in WNBA history to ever put up a triple-double. Not satisfied with that, Clark recorded a second one in early September.
She ultimately inked her name into the league's history books with multiple records, including single-season and single-game assists, and single-season rookie scoring.
In the Fever's first .500 season in eight years, Clark helped Indiana to a 20-20 record after a sputtering 1-8 season start. As a result, the Fever made their first postseason run since 2016.
The franchise also smashed viewership and attendance records thanks in large part to Clark's popularity. Indiana home games ultimately drew over 90,000 more fans than the league's previous home attendance season record, set at 250,565 by the Liberty in 2001.
First-year stars join Clark on WNBA All-Rookie Team
The 2024 All-Rookie Team also dropped on Thursday, with Clark, Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Rickea Jackson, and Leonie Fiebich all getting the nod.
Reese, Clark's biggest ROTY competition before her season-ending injury, claimed records of her own in her abbreviated first campaign. The 2024 All-Star now holds the league's record for consecutive double-doubles, the single-season rebound mark, and boasts the WNBA's highest rebound average in history.
Reese's Chicago teammate, center Cardoso, also put up stunning rookie season numbers, ultimately leading all first-year players with an impressive 52.1% field goal percentage. Meanwhile, forward Jackson made an immediate impact on the Sparks's stat sheet as the team's second leading scorer.
The Liberty's Fiebich is a WNBA rookie, but the 24-year-old German's overseas career already earned her MVP honors in Spain's pro league. Her All-Rookie Team honor is based on Fiebich's regular-season play, but she's still making key contributions in New York's ongoing WNBA postseason run.