Last week, former UConn star Paige Bueckers won a national championship. A week later, to no surprise, Bueckers was selected number one by the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft in New York City on Monday night.
The 23-year-old says being the number pick “means everything.”
“I don’t want to take this for granted. I’ve been focusing a lot about being present and being where my feet are, so to be at this stage, to be here, to have a lot of my supporters here and people who have helped me get here, it just means everything to me.”
Bueckers, who was Naismith College Player of the Year in 2021, is considered by some to be a generational talent. She will join All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale and the 2024 WNBA Most Improver Player, DiJonai Carrington, so the Wings, who have a new GM in Curt Miller and a new coach in Chris Koclanes after having the second-worst record in the WNBA last season, should be improved.
According to Bueckers, the future is bright in Dallas.
“I am coming in and wanting to give everything I have to that organization,” she said. “We have established that there’s new levels of standards that are going to be set in play, and there’s a new GM, new coach, new assistant coach, a whole new team, so we’re excited for that fresh start.
“It’s not a rebuild; it’s just a build from where we are. Excited for the new arena, the new practice facility and conversations with the CEO, the GM. We’re excited for the future and only think the best is ahead.”
Bueckers should re-energize the Wings next season, making for an exciting summer in Dallas, and she had a message for the fans.
“Yeah, I’m just extremely excited to be there,” she said. “I’ve only heard great things about the city. So excited to start that new chapter and be in a new city and explore that and give everything I have to the Wings organization. I know we’re going to do great things, and it’s a fresh start, and I think we’re all ready to do something special. So just extremely grateful that they have — they took the pick on me. I can see the city has great love for that pick, and we’re just super excited for the future.”
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