The air in the WNBA is crackling with the heat of young talent stepping into the limelight alongside seasoned stars. A notable name buzzing louder than a hundred angry hornets is that of Paige Bueckers, the newly minted face of the Dallas Wings. Swept up by the allure of her stellar performances, not only are basketball courts energizing under her exceptional gameplay but card deck collectors are equally fired up thanks to Bueckers’ burgeoning legacy.
Drafted first in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Bueckers has hit the ground running like a true basketball virtuoso. While the likes of league stalwarts such as A’ja Wilson and Nneka Ogwumike continue to command respect and admiration for their contributions, it is electrifying newcomers like Bueckers, alongside fellow rooks Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, who are fast setting the stands ablaze with fresh fervor.
To say the rookie guard is fast-tracking her stardom is as much an understatement as calling a slam dunk merely ‘good.’ Bueckers is averaging a stunning 19.7 points, complemented by 4.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. Such figures invariably spoke for themselves, earning Bueckers a much-deserved spot in the WNBA All-Star lineup in July, almost an anticipated formality given her eye-catching maneuvers on court.
Her blockbuster moment, one that put tongues wagging and card traders booting up eBay with newfound vigor, was her extraordinary 44-point haul against the Los Angeles Sparks. This scoring eruption was nothing short of a meteor strike; she nailed 17 of her 21 shots, nailed all quartet of three-pointers, and went 6-for-6 from the stripe. Such a masterpiece of scoring was more than just a box-score booster; it matched Cynthia Cooper’s rookie scoring record dating back to 1997, while simultaneously staking a claim for the highest single-game tally this season. By halftime, she had amassed 16 points, foreshadowing a historical evening on the hardwood.
Consistency, that rare and prized quality often elusive even to seasoned contenders, seems embedded in Bueckers’ DNA as she marches on 29 consecutive double-digit scoring games—a streak currently flirting dangerously with Wilson’s record of 33. Bueckers’ knack for making every opponent sweat continues unabated, inadvertently raising both her and the collective games’ entertainment quotient.
Her electrifying performance was not a mere flash in the pan. Earlier performances, like the 35-point sizzler against Phoenix, had already assured fans and critics alike that her offerings to the sport would be a regular treat—and one that would keep evolving.
While fans soak in the courtside thrill, collectors too play their version of ‘spot the next big thing,’ and in Bueckers, they’ve clearly hit the jackpot. The demand for her WNBA cards is as insatiable as her on-court drive, with the secondary market going berserk. Where Wilson and peers like Sabrina Ionescu and Sophie Cunningham already felt the buoyant lift of collectors’ interest, Bueckers’ memorabilia is commanding especially eye-popping prices.
To illustrate, on a day the markets dared not sleep, her 2023-24 Bowman’s Best University Buckets Die Cuts Autograph numbered to 50 sold for a cool $629.99. Adding to the pandemonium was a 2023 Bowman Chrome University Aqua Refractor /299 graded PSA 9, going off the shelf at $99.99. The crescendo of this speculative frenzy was arguably hit on August 20 when her 2023-24 Bowman’s Best University Greatness Awaits Autographs Gold Geometric Refractor commanded $1,350.
This perfect storm of athletic prowess and trading fervor is precisely what is pushing the WNBA into newer realms of excitement and popularity. Paige Bueckers, with her huff-and-puff style, ensures that the winds of change only gather more strength, ready to sweep across courts and card markets alike. As she continues her ascendancy, her journey promises to be one to watch—a legitimate narrative for the ages. Enthusiasts track her every bounce, both on the floor and in redemption centers, as they too, like fans across the globe, know they’re witnessing the rise of a likely legend in real-time.
