LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paige Bueckers put together not just one of the best shooting performances by a WNBA rookie, but one of the best performances ever by any player.
The top pick in this year's draft scored 44 points in the Dallas Wings' 81-80 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday night, the most points by a rookie in WNBA history and the most points in a game by any player this season.
Bueckers sank 17 of 21 shots, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range and 6 of 6 at the free-throw line to become the first player in league history with 40-plus points on 80% shooting from the floor.
She also had four rebounds and three assists.
The WNBA first-year player record of 44 was set by Cynthia Cooper in the inaugural season of the WNBA (1997), when all players were ‘first year.’ The true rookie record was held by Candace Parker who scored 40 points in 2008.
But it was a bittersweet performance for Bueckers, whose primary focus is on winning.
“I’ve always prided myself and the team on winning so that’s obviously the main goal," she said. “Honestly, I think I’m just most proud of this team, like, the way we fight. This team just means so much to me.”
Bueckers, who scored Dallas’ final 13 points, credited her teammates.
“Just my teammates getting me open. Screening for me, running some off-ball actions, trying to get myself open looks," she said. ”Just bringing the ball up the floor. (Luisa Geiselsoder) set amazing screens for me the entire night and then my teammates just looking for me, getting me the ball, getting me open.”
Bueckers’ teammate Arike Ogunbowale, who did not play on Wednesday night, posted “ROY” (Rookie of the Year) on X.
Bueckers is 60 points shy of Ogunbowale’s franchise rookie scoring record of 630 points, set in 2019.
“Unreal. honored to play with you,” teammate Maddy Siegrist posted on X.
Even the Sparks fans realized they were witnessing something special, cheering every Bueckers basket.
“It means a lot specifically because people have gotten to see the struggle and people have gotten to see the injuries, and the ups and downs,” said Bueckers, who struggled with injuries at UConn.
Bueckers moved past Cooper for third-longest streak of consecutive double-digit scoring games by a rookie in WNBA history with 29. Las Vegas forward A’ja Wilson holds the record of 33.
Bueckers had a chance to seal the game with the ball in her hands with 30 seconds left on the clock and a one-point lead.
The rookie guard drew two defenders near the 3-point arc and unselfishly passed it to the corner for Aziaha James, whose 3-point attempt hit off the back of the rim.
Los Angeles got it to its veteran guard Kelsey Plum, who dribbled down the clock before driving into the lane past multiple defenders to bank in a runner at the buzzer.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) dribbles during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Sparks in Arlington, Texas, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
BOSTON (AP) — When Zdeno Chara signed with the Boston Bruins in 2006, the No. 3 he wore early in his career had already been retired by the Original Six franchise.
So he picked No. 33 without giving it much thought.
“Little did I know how meaningful 33 was,” Chara said on Thursday night before his number was raised to the TD Garden rafters not far from where Larry Bird's No. 33 already hangs in Celtics green.
It is the 13th number retired by the Bruins, and the latest in a collection of Hall of Fame defenseman that runs from Eddie Shore to Bobby Orr to Raymond Bourque.
“It's a huge honor,” Chara told reporters. "I can’t explain to you how honored I feel. I’m humbled about being selected to be one of the numbers being retired. Being with that history, forever."
The 2009 Norris Trophy winner and a 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Chara spent 14 of his 24 NHL seasons in Boston, leading the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup championship. His 1,680 games is the most of any NHL defenseman; at 6 feet, 9 inches (2.06m), he is the tallest player in league history, and his 108.8 mph (175.1 kmh) slap shot in the 2012 skills competition remains the NHL record.
But his teammates and other Bruins attending Thursday's ceremony said Chara's biggest contribution was signing with a team that hadn't won a playoff series in six years — “the best decision I ever made” — and turning them into champions.
“Things really changed when Zee came here as a free agent,” Bourque said. "From that point on, the culture and everything that comes with that, and the success and the run that they had, he was such a big part of that.
“He’s a legend,” Bourque said. “He really deserves to be up there.”
Bourque was among the former Bruins greats in attendance, along with Orr — both of them, like Chara, Boston defensemen who finished their careers elsewhere on their way to the Hall of Fame. They arrived via gold carpet that led them past adoring fans and the statue of Orr flying through the air following his Cup-winning goal in the 1970 finals.
Other fellow retired number honorees in attendance included Cam Neely, Willie O’Ree, Rick Middleton, Terry O'Reilly and John Bucyk. The current Bruins sat on the bench, all wearing Chara jerseys.
Five members of the 2011 roster — Patrice Bergeron, Mark Recchi, Dennis Seidenberg, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask — carried the retired number onto the ice, and teammate Andrew Ference served as emcee.
In his speech, Chara read the names of every player on the Bruins last Cup winners. Asked why, he said after: “Without championships, you are not going to be successful, you’re not going to be recognized.
"The championships, that’s what they do. They raise everyone, they extend careers for everyone,” he explained. "They create dynasties. They create stories. They create memories. They created what we’re experiencing tonight.
"It’s very simple: Once you win the championship, everything gets so much better for everyone. And the most beautiful thing about it: You create extended families with each other. It’s true. You have bonds, you have friendships that are now still forever. It’s amazing; it’s like you’re seeing your brother. You trust the person; you know everything about them. And anytime anybody needs something, you’re there for them.
“That’s what winning championships do,” he said. “Not just for a career, but for the rest of your lives, it means something very special.”
The ceremony at center ice featured a “Big Zee” ice sculpture flanking the podium and a large No. 33 behind it. Fans were asked to get in their seats two hours early, and the full TD Garden erupted in a giant shout of “Zee!” followed by an extended cheer of “Thank you, Chara!”
A highlight video featured former Bruins Brad Marchand and current coach Marco Sturm, Chara's teammate from 2006-10. Many of them spoke of the way Chara led by example.
“He wasn’t really a ‘Rah, rah!’ guy,” former Bruins forward and current team president Neely said, “but when he spoke, it was with a purpose.”
And so, when it was time to raise his No. 33 to the rafters, Chara stood by with his wife, Tatiana, while their children — Zack, Ben and Elliz — pulled the ropes.
“That’s the biggest reward for me: To see my children and my family doing it instead of me. I think I get better joy watching them doing it than the joy of me doing it because it's so much more meaningful,” he explained. "They deserve that more than me."
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara speaks during his number retirement ceremony before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara leads his family over to his number "33" to raise it to the rafters before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, center, waves to the crowd during his number retirement ceremony, as Bruins' players with their number already retired, from left, Willie O'Ree, Rick Middleton, Terrry O'Reilly, Cam Neely, emcee Andrew Ferrance and Bobby Orr look on before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara's number "33" is raised to the rafters at TD Garden before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Bobby Orr applauds, left bottom, as former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara waves to the crowd during his number retirement ceremony before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
