Paige Bueckers Goes Number 1 Being Selected by Dallas Wings

Paige Bueckers is coming off a national championship win with the University of Connecticut.

Bueckers officially went number one in the WNBA draft on Monday after being selected by the Dallas Wings.

“You don’t ever want to assume anything in life,” Bueckers stated. “Nothing is guaranteed, so for this moment to be here and it to actually happen, it’s nerve-racking. You just have a level of excitement, nervousness, bittersweet feeling knowing that my journey at UConn is over, but excited for the next one to begin. To be able to share that moment with the people sitting at my table and also the people not sitting at my table, they played a huge role in it.”

Bueckers has had a busy month leading up to the draft, with the most notable event being UConn’s national championship title. She helped lead the Huskies to their twelfth title in history on April 6 with a win over South Carolina.

Anticipation was high for Bueckers to join the Wings for several months.The Wings sold their season tickets shortly after discovering they had the number one draft pick

“The conversations were brief, but just for them to know that I am coming and wanting to give everything I have to that organization,” she stated. “Dallas is a sports city, so I’m super excited for the support, the new wave of being there, being in a new city, being with a new team, and conquering those challenges as a group. We’ve got great pieces, a great ownership, great GMs, great coaches. The entire organization from up to down, I’m extremely excited for it.”

The UConn star had many supporters in attendance at the draft, including her teammates and coaching staff. Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Muhl, her former teammates who were drafted last year to the Washington Mystics and Seattle Storm, also attended.

“They mean everything to me,” she stated. “They helped me get through highs and lows.”

Bueckers joins an elite list of UConn stars to become the number one draft pick, including Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, and Breanna Stewart. She also became the sixth player to win a national championship and be the top draft pick in the same year. The last to do this was Stewart in 2016.

The Wings moved to Dallas in 2016 after being located in Detroit and then Tulsa. They’ve made the playoffs five times in their nine seasons in Texas. However, they have yet to advance past the second round. Last season, the Wings went 9-31.

The team recently changed their coaching, and they’re moving from Arlington to Dallas, where they will play in a larger, newly renovated arena. They will also build a new practice facility.

General Manager Curt Miller expressed his excitement about Bueckers joining the Wings.

“What we’ve seen number one picks do to franchises around the league, it is something truly special, the trajectory of your team, the momentum that it brings,” Miller stated. “Paige will do it in her own way, and her efficiency, her unselfishness, her ability to take over when needed, I think you’re going to see her really impact this franchise.”

The Wings’ CEO and president, Greg Bibb, also commented on Bueckers’ selection to the team.

“Obviously, from a basketball perspective, she’s transformative,” Bibb stated. “Off the court, she will move the needle for us, and I think there’s this new era in the WNBA of players coming into the league that can actually make an impact that you can see and feel, and she’ll do that for Dallas one day.”

At last year’s WNBA draft, the first overall pick was Caitlin Clark, who the Indiana Fever selected.

The WNBA season begins May 16. The Dallas Wings play on the opening day against the Minnesota Lynx.