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Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers was named the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year last week, capping off an outstanding first professional season. She wasn’t the only UConn product playing in Texas to take home the ROTY award this year, as Stephon Castle took home the NBA’s award with the San Antonio Spurs this season.
That’s the first instance that the WNBA and NBA Rookies of the Year in the same season came from the same college, won national championships in their final seasons in college, and they just so happened to be friends off the court, too.
Castle recently interviewed with E-Sports Insider, where he was asked about his friendship with Bueckers.
“Yeah, definitely, I’m super cool with Paige,” Castle said. “She texted me when I won Rookie of the Year, and I told her she was next, and here we are. We both won it. Super happy for her, I was happy she actually got out of UConn with a natty too. We’ve been on the same path.”
“…Our practice facility was split up, so we didn’t see each other as much unless we were in the training room or getting food. But we’re still super cool.”
READ MORE: NBA legend marvels over Paige Bueckers’ greatness in wake of WNBA ROTY award
Castle only spent one season at UConn, averaging 11.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 2.9 APG. He showed enough potential in that national championship season to be selected fourth overall by the Spurs, joining Victor Wembanyama in the bright future for San Antonio.
Bueckers spent five seasons at UConn, missing one due to a knee injury, but she was a dominant player her entire career. In 123 career games, she averaged 19.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.6 APG, was named a First-Team All-American three times, and was the first overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
The race for the NBA Rookie of the Year ended up being an interesting debate between Castle and first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher. But Castle’s 14.7 PPG, 4.1 APG, and 3.7 RPG were enough to give him the win.
Meanwhile, Bueckers had a historic rookie season, averaging 19.1 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 3.9 RPG. She’ll likely be on an All-WNBA team when they’re announced within the next week or so, as she was also the only player to score more than 40 points in a game this season, tying the all-time rookie record for points in a game with 44.
READ MORE: Paige Bueckers earns praise from Dallas Wings teammate
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