{"id":159263,"date":"2025-09-16T19:39:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T23:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=159263"},"modified":"2025-09-16T19:39:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T23:39:17","slug":"cathy-engelbert-surprises-paige-bueckers-after-wnba-roty-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/16\/cathy-engelbert-surprises-paige-bueckers-after-wnba-roty-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Cathy Engelbert Surprises Paige Bueckers After WNBA ROTY Win"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Cathy Engelbert surprised <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/b\/bueckpa01w.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paige Bueckers<\/a> on <a  href=\"https:\/\/jenniferhudsonshow.com\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Jennifer Hudson Show<\/a> after the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/08\/29\/dallas-wings-strengthen-roster-hardship-signings\/\" target=\"_self\">Dallas Wings<\/a>\u2019 star won the Rookie of the Year award. The WNBA Commissioner presented the trophy to Bueckers in front of a live audience, giving the 23-year-old guard an unforgettable moment after her breakout first season in the league.<\/p>\n<h2>Cathy Engelbert Surprises Paige Bueckers After WNBA ROTY Win<\/h2>\n<h3>Bueckers Receives WNPA ROTY Trophy In an Unusual Setting<\/h3>\n<p>The show invited Bueckers to appear, and she walked through the \u2018tunnel walk\u2019 segment, where staff and audience cheered her on from both sides before she took the stage. What she did not know was that a special guest was waiting for her at the end. Cathy Engelbert appeared holding the 2025 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year trophy as Bueckers danced her way down the tunnel with staff from the show singing \u201cPaige Bueckers at J-Hud\u2019s, shooting baskets, she\u2019s the one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI bet I\u2019m the last person you expected to see in this tunnel,\u201d Engelbert smiled and told Bueckers. \u201cBut I\u2019m here to present you with the 2025 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year award.\u201d Bueckers was all smiles as she received the trophy and thanked her with a hug as chants of \u201cRookie of the Year\u201d echoed around the studio.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Paige Bueckers did not expect THIS at the end of her tunnel! \ud83d\udc40 <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WNBA<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DallasWings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@DallasWings<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wyJ8RsJdl8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/wyJ8RsJdl8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Jennifer Hudson Show (@JHudShow) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JHudShow\/status\/1967967247462436929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 16, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>While most awards are announced through press releases or formal ceremonies, the decision to present Bueckers with her trophy on The Jennifer Hudson Show gave the moment an extra layer of surprise and excitement. The show\u2019s tunnel walk, usually just a fun way to welcome guests, became the stage for her big reveal.<\/p>\n<h3>How Bueckers\u2019 Impressive Campaign Led To Unprecedented Win<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/08\/21\/paige-bueckers-wnba-rookie-scoring-record\/\" target=\"_self\">Bueckers<\/a> entered the WNBA with plenty of expectations after her impressive college career, and she more than lived up to the hype. She averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game in her first season with the Dallas Wings and was the team\u2019s leading scorer and playmaker, usually producing magic moments at important times.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_156404\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-156404\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-156404 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26906199_168402037_lowres-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Aug 22, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) controls the ball as Seattle Storm guard Brittney Sykes (20) defends during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26906199_168402037_lowres-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26906199_168402037_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26906199_168402037_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26906199_168402037_lowres-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26906199_168402037_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26906199_168402037_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26906199_168402037_lowres.jpg 1935w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-156404\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aug 22, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) controls the ball as Seattle Storm guard Brittney Sykes (20) defends during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The 23-year-old becomes the 16th No. 1 overall pick to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year award. Bueckers scored in double figures in nearly every game and was able to create opportunities for teammates as well as herself. She set a rookie scoring record after notching 44 points against the Los Angeles Sparks in August. Beyond the numbers, her leadership on the floor and composure under pressure impressed both coaches and fans.<\/p>\n<p>Bueckers won the award in outstanding fashion, receiving a whopping 70 of the 72 media votes for Rookie of the Year. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/18\/washington-mystics-rookies-succeeding-amid-rough-season\/\" target=\"_self\">Washington Mystics<\/a> guard <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/c\/citroso01w.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sonia Citron<\/a> received the other two votes as Bueckers became the first Wings player since <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/g\/grayal01w.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Allisha Gray<\/a> in 2017 to win Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Bueckers\u2019 impressive performances, Dallas couldn\u2019t avoid a disastrous campaign, finishing the season 10-30 to tie for the WNBA\u2019s worst record. The disappointing run also kept them out of the playoffs for a second straight year, but the former UConn star will enter her sophomore season with higher expectations for her team.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cathy Engelbert surprised Paige Bueckers on The Jennifer Hudson Show after the Dallas Wings\u2019 star won the Rookie of the Year award. The WNBA Commissioner presented the trophy to Bueckers in front of a live audience, giving the 23-year-old guard an unforgettable moment after her breakout first season in the league. Cathy Engelbert Surprises Paige [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5425,"featured_media":159284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,3,49709],"tags":[4851,49232,49780,4153,49181],"class_list":["post-159263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-news","category-wnba","tag-alisha-gray","tag-dallas-wings","tag-los-angeles-sparks","tag-paige-bueckers","tag-washington-mystics"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5425"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159263"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":159283,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159263\/revisions\/159283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}