NEW YORK — The Dallas Wings selected UConn star Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft on Monday night.
Bueckers just won a national championship at UConn, where she averaged 19.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists in her final season and picked up several national Player of the Year honors as a freshman in 2021. She was a three-time unanimous first-team All-American and is the sixth UConn player to be picked first overall in the WNBA draft.
“It’s super surreal just being here with other draft invitees. My teammates are here, my family is here,” Bueckers told ESPN shortly after she was drafted. “Just super grateful. I’ve been focusing on staying present. Staying where my feet are. To be here right now, I’m just extremely blessed.”
Continuing to grow in popularity, Bueckers could be Dallas-Fort Worth’s next sports superstar. Her 2.3 million Instagram followers outnumber Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s (2.2 million), and the region can no longer claim former Dallas Maverick Luka Doncic after he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
The 23-year-old phenom could also put a spotlight on North Texas and be the player who delivers the Wings their first WNBA title since moving to Dallas in 2016.
After the Wings, who finished 9-31 last season, won the draft lottery in November, speculation circulated that Bueckers could land elsewhere. Reports indicated there was a particular market she wanted to play in or that she could force an Eli Manning-type trade.
Bueckers did not validate any of that speculation, saying ahead of the draft that there was nowhere specific she hoped to play.
“Wherever that is, whatever that looks like,” she said during an appearance on the Today show last week. “Just to be able to play in the WNBA, it’s a dream come true.”
That dream became reality Monday night, and Bueckers is officially a member of the Dallas Wings.
Before the draft, Bueckers was asked if she preferred Tex-Mex or barbecue. While she originally picked barbecue, she changed her pick after learning she was headed to Dallas.
“Before I was asked about Tex-Mex vs. barbecue, I was unfamiliar with the term ‘Tex-Mex,’ so that’s my pick,” Bueckers said. “Dallas, I’m so excited. A new city, a new start, a fresh start. I’m excited. Let’s get it.”
Two seasons removed from a WNBA semifinals appearance, the Wings have built momentum over the last year and capped it by securing Bueckers. The club made a big push in free agency to elevate an already talented roster, secured a landmark media rights deal and negotiated a move from Arlington to downtown Dallas.
They also booked the American Airlines Center for their June 27 game against the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark, a contest that should see Clark and Bueckers, the last two No. 1 picks, meet for the first time in a WNBA matchup.
Twitter: @t_myah
