In sports, there are instances when everything comes together: an underdog against a giant, a shot, and the crowd goes wild, and then a still shot stops time to give it all. And is this probably what Eldon interpreted in his portrait? On the ground-breaking 44-point game, that moment was when Paige Bueckers herself shared the moment with none other than the 7-foot-1 NBA champion, Chet Holmgren, whose eyes were filled with admiration of the kind that requires no language barrier and no thought of hierarchy.
A Performance of the Ages
In an exhibition of awe inspiring performance in her Wings jersey, Bueckers has exploded to put in 44 on the board, hitting four three pointers on four attempts and overall pounding 17 of 21 shots to the hoop making her not only the highest scoring rookie in WNBA history but the first player ever to score 40+ points at over 80% shooting.
That game stat was already orbited by history, but when NBA fans beheld her standing next to Holmgren, she was in a league of her own compared with the towering giant of a different universe, the one who held up the standard, the one who made her substantial game stat line even more impressive. As the height is a difference, which sometimes says more about the differences in routes, but also about the respect that sport still maintains, no matter what stage.
When NBA Stars Become Fans
Holmgren didn’t shy from the moment he watched Bueckers’, celebrated by a crowd, then turned and grinned during the postgame celebration, never missing a beat of a game that will be replayed for inspiration.
His reaction was echoed by Ja Morant and NBA social feeds lighting up: “Turn this s**t on Paige got 40,” Morant famously tweeted, and Holmgren replied with undeniable enthusiasm.
The Numbers Behind the Night
Here’s how Bueckers’ performance stacks up:
Stat |
Value |
Points |
44 |
Field Goals |
17-of-21 |
3PT Shooting |
4-of-4 |
Free Throws |
6-of-6 |
Rookie Scoring Record |
Yes |
40+ Points at 80% FG |
First ever |
She’d already broken records just by staying consistent, but that night cemented her reputation. She didn’t just score; she dominated.
Small in size, Big in contribution
Paige Bueckers is about 6 feet, which is already relatively unusual in the general population, but at the moment, she was dwarfed by Holmgren. The contrast in the story enhanced it with some depth: grandeur is not counted in inches or dollars or even in awards but in moments that you have to be completely present.
Legacy: The construction of a bridge between leagues
It is still early days in Bueckers’ career, and yet all that we can see is that she is already inviting a legacy-level comparison. Her performance matched the rookie point-scoring mark of Cynthia Cooper in 1997, but was done with more accuracy and under control than ever before a rookie could perform. Holmgren? He gave his own height, on the one hand physical and on the other symbolic, to bear witness.
