“Extremely Grateful”: Paige Bueckers Embraces Fresh Start with Dallas Wings After No. 1 Overall Pick
Paige Bueckers was selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft after a decorated UConn career, embracing a new chapter in Texas.
Paige Bueckers tried to imagine what it would feel like to hear her name called first. But when the moment finally arrived Monday night at The Shed, even she was caught off guard by the emotions — and the speed.
“A lot faster than I thought, just going up there, getting the jersey,” Bueckers said. “But super surreal. Just like I’ve been talking about, just so grateful to be here. 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.”
The Dallas Wings made the UConn guard the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, formally beginning a new chapter for the franchise and one of the most accomplished college players in recent history. The pick came just eight days after Bueckers led UConn to its 12th national championship.
“You don’t ever want to assume anything in life. Nothing is guaranteed,” Bueckers said. “So for this moment to be here and it 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. So just happiness and joy.”
Dallas banking on leadership and efficiency
Bueckers is the sixth UConn player to be taken No. 1 overall in WNBA Draft history and the first since Breanna Stewart in 2016. Dallas secured the top pick by winning the draft lottery in November and quickly identified the 6-foot guard from Hopkins, Minnesota, as the foundational piece of its retooled roster.
“We are extremely excited as a franchise to select Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft,” said Wings executive vice president and general manager Curt Miller. “The addition of Paige is another huge momentum-building moment for the Wings franchise and team.”
Bueckers joins a franchise undergoing significant transformation. The Wings have a new coach, Chris Koclanes, a reshaped roster, and a newly opened practice facility—part of a broader push to turn potential into sustainable success.
“Honestly, the conversations were brief,” Bueckers said of her pre-draft talks with the Wings. “But just for them to know that I am coming in and wanting to give everything I have to that organization. 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 we only think the best is ahead.”
Koclanes, hired as head coach in the offseason, praised Bueckers’ ability to lead through performance and poise.
“It takes a special person to be able to navigate the daily pressures and expectations she faces and consistently deliver with the gratitude and grace that she has,” Koclanes said. “I look forward to empowering her to be herself and to be a rookie as she begins this next chapter.”
One of the most efficient players in college basketball history
Bueckers capped her college career as UConn’s all-time leader in scoring average (19.8 points) and became the fastest player in program history to reach both 1,000 and 2,000 points. She ranks third all-time in total points (2,439), fifth in three-point percentage (.423), field goals made (931) and assists (561), and holds the school record for most points in NCAA Tournament games (477). Last season, she averaged 19.9 points and 4.6 assists with 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.
She also posted the best assist-to-turnover ratio in UConn history at 3.52 during her final season and shot over 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three, and 85 percent from the free-throw line over her career.
Bueckers is a three-time AP First Team All-American and three-time Big East Player of the Year. She was named Most Outstanding Player of her NCAA Tournament region four times and won the Nancy Lieberman Award as the nation’s top point guard twice. Her 2020–21 freshman season remains one of the most decorated in NCAA history, when she became the first freshman ever to win the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, AP Player of the Year, and USBWA National Player of the Year.
“They mean everything to me, all they’ve helped me get through, all the ups and downs, the highs and lows, they’ve seen every side of me, and the love there is unconditional, so forever grateful for them,” she said. “I want to cherish that relationship for the rest of my life, and I wouldn’t be here without them. I just want to show a state of gratitude to them.”
Finding balance in the chaos
Bueckers was back at the draft one year after attending in support of her teammates Nika Mühl and Aaliyah Edwards. This time, she was the headliner.
“Last year was definitely a different role just in the supporting cast role, just being so extremely happy for Nika and Aaliyah to see them live out their childhood dreams and especially coming in with them as freshmen,” she said. “To go through that entire journey together and to see them get rewarded like that was extremely great to be a part of. And this time it’s super different just being in those shoes where Nika and Aaliyah were last year, but also again having my supporting cast here and everyone that’s meant so much to me.”
In the days between UConn’s championship and draft night, Bueckers bounced between celebrations and preparation.
“It’s been fun,” she said. “I’m glad New York and Storrs are pretty close to each other because there’s been a lot of back and forth. Part of me wants to stay at school, celebrate with the team, be with them, enjoy the last moments of being in Storrs, and the other part of me has to get ready for the next chapter. So, it’s been a lot of back and forth, but I’m running on great fumes, grateful fumes, and wouldn’t trade it for anything — the life that I’m living. I’m extremely blessed.”
Embracing her platform and the city of Dallas
The excitement surrounding Bueckers’ arrival in Dallas is already building. Teammates like Arike Ogunbowale and DiJonai Carrington have publicly supported the pick, and Bueckers said she already feels the love from her new team and city.
“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.”
She added, “I’m extremely grateful that 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.”
Bueckers said that joining a team with a passionate fanbase and a clear direction made Dallas feel like the right fit.
“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,” she said. “We’ve got great pieces, great ownership, great GM, great coaches. So the entire organization, from up to down, I’m extremely excited for it.”
Now, Bueckers begins a new chapter in Dallas, bringing her poise, dynamic skill set, and overall presence to the WNBA.
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