Paige Bueckers, Taylor Fritz Among Athletes on TIME's List of Influential Rising Stars

WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers can add another recognition to her resume this year.

Along with tennis star Taylor Fritz, Bueckers headlines the small group of athletes named to TIME's list of The World's Most Influential Rising Stars. Bueckers and Fritz were joined by golfer Jeeno Thitikul and cricket prodigy Yashasvi Jaiswal, with all of them being listed in the Phenoms section.

After her stellar first season with the Dallas Wings, Bueckers received 70 out of the 72 votes for the 2025 Rookie of the Year award. She led the Wings with averages of 19.2 points, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals while also adding 3.9 rebounds across 36 games. She also set a WNBA single-game rookie record with 44 points on 17-of-21 shooting in a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Bueckers had the honor of having former WNBA star and three-time champion Diana Taurasi do her write-up for the TIME special edition.

"She is living in a world where there are so many commitments, so many opportunities. But she works hard, and she does so in a way that encourages growth for everyone," Taurasi wrote. "I love watching her play. I love the way she carries herself on the court with her teammates. When we talk about great competitors and champions—to get there, your teammates have to like you. And she gets the best out of her team because they love her."

Fritz made some noise with his run to 2024 US Open final, and he followed that up with a semifinal run to Wimbledon this year. He's currently ranked No. 5 in the world.