2025 All Star weekend happened in the blink of an eye. Team Clark was handed a hearty loss by Team Collier this past weekend, and both the Skills Challenge and 3-point contest were dominated by New York Liberty guards. 

The game, specifically, offered a great glimpse into the camaraderie shared by WNBA players right now, with mostly goofy moves and ridiculous shot attempts making up the contest that ended up being a blowout thanks to All Star game MVP Napheesa Collier.  

Another aspect to the contest that really showed the support offered by WNBA players to one another was the three rookies featured during this weekend’s festivities. Washington Mystics rookies Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron, and Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers, were all over the place representing the neophytes of the league. 

Citron participated in the 3-point contest alongside Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull, Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray, and Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum. While she didn’t advance to the final round, she still ended up walking home with half of the winnings from the challenge – and, that’s all thanks to Ionescu promising Citron half of her $62,575 prize. 

“Well, I told Sonia I would give her half if I won when we were sitting on the bench, as being the only rookie, and she was nervous. I was nervous for her. I’ll obviously hold up my end of the bargain. So, half is gonna go to her. Just for participating. That takes a lot of courage to do that as a rookie, I was really proud of her,” said Ionescu in a press conference after winning her second 3-point contest in three years. 

Citron’s teammate, Iriafen, also received some grace from a Liberty player over the weekend. During the All-Star game, Iriafen badly airballed her first three point shot attempt, holding her hands to her head in disbelief at how bad the shot ended up being. Then, in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, she attempted another deep shot – a 4-pointer – and made it with ease. 

This time, that shot attempt was only possible thanks to a turnover-slash-assist from Breanna Stewart off a rebound on a missed shot by Team Clark. Stewart saw Iriafen standing in front of her and gave her the ball for a last second shot, which she completed. It was a wonderful showing of sportsmanship from the veteran Stewart, and it gave Iriafen a signature All-Star game moment in her very first appearance. 

As for Bueckers, the third rookie featured over the weekend, she didn’t have as many noteworthy moments thanks to veterans other than clips in practice of her going at it with Collier, her team captain, and Plum, her Team Collier teammate. Both obviously respect Bueckers’ weapons on offense, even though she’s a first year player. 

All three of the rookies featured in this year’s All-Star events are considered the front runners for Rookie of the Year honors at the end of the year. Bueckers had a slow start to the season with Dallas, but has begun to heat up as we head into the second half of the year. She’s currently averaging 18.4 points per game along with 5.5 assists, 1.7 steals, and four rebounds. She leads the rookie class in scoring, with Citron on her tail with 14.1 points per game.

Citron does hold the best three point shot percentage amongst rookies that have taken more than 60 attempts from deep this season, hitting her three pointers at a clip of 36.5 percent so far this year. Citron is also averaging five rebounds per game, which is second-best amongst rookies in the league this year – second best to her teammate, Iriafen, who is averaging 8.5 rebounds per game.

Iriafen is nearly averaging a double double in her rookie season, touching almost 12 points per game in addition to her rebounding. 

Often, in a race this tight, you look to see how much each rookie has impacted winning. Last year, it was obvious that Caitlin Clark was the rookie impacting her team’s ability to win the most amongst all first year players that qualified for the award. This year, the Mystics do have the edge in terms of their record headed into the second half of the season. But, Bueckers’ impact on the Wings could sway things in her favor – she’s one of their most consistent scorers this season, helping to lessen the blow of a down year from Arike Ogunbowale. 

Player Impact Estimate, or PIE, is a good tool to use to figure out the individual impact that a player is having on their teams’ chances at winning contests. Right now, Bueckers has the biggest PIE (​​12.7) amongst rookies who have played a majority of games this year, with Seattle Storm rookie Dominique Malonga right behind her at 12.5. Washington’s rookies follow her, with Iriafen earning a 12.1 PIE and Citron an 11.8. 

All three rookies are set to make their respective pushes for the award in the second half of this season, and the momentum they’re carrying from a successful All-Star weekend should make that push must-watch television for WNBA fans. 

WNBA reporter Candace Pedraza writes columns on WNBA.com throughout the season. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its teams.