As the 2025 WNBA season winds to a close, Unrivaled Basketball is ramping up for its second-ever campaign to kick off in January 2026. The offseason women's basketball league began unveiling its 48-player roster for next year by announcing newly crowned Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers as the first confirmed baller. The Dallas Wings star highlighted a list that also consisted of 2025 WNBA MVP finalist Alyssa Thomas, her Phoenix Mercury teammate Satou Sabally, and 2024 first-round pick Rickea Jackson.

Bueckers will also reportedly be joined by Seattle Storm veteran Erica Wheeler and fellow standout rookie Saniya Rivers of the Connecticut Sun. The star UConn alum is coming off an outstanding inaugural WNBA campaign, finishing with averages of 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals while claiming the Wings' rookie scoring record after being taken with the first overall pick in this year's draft. With the visibility that Bueckers' starpower and Rookie of the Year win has helped bring to the W, fans will be showing up and tuning in to see how she impacts Unrivaled's sophomore season after a hugely successful 2025 debut.

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The announcement that Bueckers claimed the WNBA Rookie of the Year award confirmed what many already believed coming into the 2025 campaign. The final tally highlighted her dominance in the race, with Bueckers earning 70 votes while Washington Mystics rookie Sonia Citron received two.

Bueckers stepped into a lineup that needed a young star, and she quickly became one of the Wings' focal points. As the season unfolded, her chemistry with her teammates grew stronger, and her presence on the court began to reshape Dallas' identity as a result. The Wings will now look to continue building around her as they chase long-term success led by a rising star capable of carrying them into the future.