“Full-Circle Moment”: Paige Bueckers Makes WNBA Debut as Dallas Wings Host Minnesota Lynx in Sold-Out Opener

The Dallas Wings open the 2025 WNBA season Friday night before a sold-out crowd at College Park Center. They will host the Minnesota Lynx in one of the most anticipated opening weekend matchups. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and will air nationally on ION.

The Wings announced the sellout on Thursday, marking the second consecutive capacity crowd in Arlington after packing the building for last weekend’s preseason finale against the Toyota Antelopes. It’s the most anticipated home opener in franchise history, driven by a retooled roster, new leadership, and the arrival of No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers.

Full-Circle Debut for Paige Bueckers

Friday marks the long-awaited WNBA debut for Bueckers, who was raised just outside of Minneapolis and grew up attending Lynx games. A former national high school player of the year and NCAA champion at UConn, Bueckers will now open her professional career facing the same franchise she idolized as a child.

“It’s super ironic,” Bueckers said. “Life really comes full circle, and God works in mysterious ways. But just to be here in Dallas embracing a new team, a new city, a new organization, and then the opening game being against the dynasty that I looked up to so much growing up, it’s a really full-circle moment for sure.”

Bueckers averaged 12.5 points in two preseason games, including 15 points and six assists in the home win over Toyota. She opened preseason play with 10 points in her debut against the Las Vegas Aces and has taken command of the Wings’ offense as the starting point guard.

“Better than the first game. I’m trying to build every game and improve,” Bueckers said. “Getting more reps in practice helps with confidence to organize things in games. But the coaching staff and my teammates help a lot—it’s not a solo mission. Just trying to grow each game.”

Head coach Chris Koclanes said Bueckers’ feel for the game has accelerated her transition to the pros.

“She’s already an incredible playmaker,” Koclanes said. “What we’re seeing now is her starting to understand the common shapes and reads in our offense and leading with purpose. She just keeps getting better every time out.”

Bueckers said she’s embraced the freedom of Dallas’ system and is focused on using her voice and leadership to elevate those around her.

“I want to gain everyone’s respect — not just for what I say, but how I carry myself every day,” she said. “We’re aggressive looking for shots, but we’re also aggressive in creating for others. We’re unselfish in moving the ball and wanting to get the best shot available.”

Teammates have taken notice. Arike Ogunbowale said Bueckers’ passing creates easy scoring chances.

“Paige just gets you easy buckets,” Ogunbowale said. “Even if you think she doesn’t see you, she sees you.”

NaLyssa Smith, who played with Caitlin Clark during her rookie campaign the Indiana Fever, said Bueckers’ leadership has been clear from the start of camp.

“No matter that she’s younger than us, she’s still our point guard,” Smith said. “She gets us in sets, gets us organized, and still gets her shots off.”

Maddy Siegrist called playing with Bueckers “exciting,” saying, “She found me on cuts, on open threes. It’s exciting to play with a point guard like that.” DiJonai Carrington added, “She has great court vision and patience. When the ball’s in her hands, you know she’ll make the right read.”

Koclanes echoed their praise. “The game is already slow for her,” he said. “Usually, rookies need time for the pace to slow down. For her, it’s already there.”

A Rebuilt Roster With Experience and Edge

Dallas brings back only three players from last season’s roster: Ogunbowale, Teaira McCowan, and Siegrist. Executive vice president and general manager Curt Miller rebuilt the team through free agency, trades, and the draft. Carrington was acquired from the Connecticut Sun after averaging 12.7 points and 5.0 rebounds and earning WNBA Most Improved Player honors. Myisha Hines-Allen, who played for the Mystics and Lynx last season, joins after averaging 7.8 points and 4.7 rebounds.

Ogunbowale, entering her seventh season, noted how the revamped roster has shifted the feel of training camp. With Bueckers initiating the offense and commanding significant attention, Ogunbowale can settle into a more off-ball role where actions can get her touches with an advantage.

“There’s definitely a different feel. It’s fun getting used to how everyone plays. The talent we have now opens things up.” Ogunbowale said, “Going into year seven is more about perfecting the things I’m good at rather than trying to just add a bunch of things. But with new players, just getting used to everybody—and I know my assists will go up because we’ve got some great players on the roster.”

McCowan has felt energized since camp began, citing strong buy-in across the locker room. She remains an integral part of the rotation entering the start of the season, providing rim protection.

“It’s a lot of great energy. I love my new teammates,” McCowan said. “Like everybody wants to be here. Everybody decides to be here and buy into what Chris and the rest of the coaching staff has to offer us this year.”

Siegrist emphasized how the team is being pushed to execute and communicate through complex sequences. Naturally, training camp has been a time to install principles and learn terminology for a significantly new roster. The team is confident the final product will be strong.

“When it’s not the first action, but like the third action you’re defending—making sure we’re still communicating through that,” Siegrist said.

Carrington, who played under Koclanes during his time as an assistant coach with the Sun, said she’s stepping into a more vocal role. During the annual survey, WNBA general managers voted her as the best perimeter defender (27.0%) in the league.

“My goal is to be the head of our defense. Chris coached me in Connecticut and was the defensive guru,” Carrington said. “I want everyone to level up on that side of the ball. We’re trying to completely flip the script.”

Hines-Allen pointed to her championship experience in Washington as proof that off-court relationships matter as much as on-court execution.

“It takes late nights in the gym, it takes hanging out off the court, it takes actually getting to know one another off the court—and then that translates on the court.” Hines-Allen said, “Being aggressive, getting my teammates open, setting great screens, getting on the boards, rebounding, and defending the best player on the other team—most likely the four. Just taking pride in that challenge every night.”

Hines-Allen added that she focuses on doing the little things that help the team function. She’s often served as an example for her younger teammates to learn from by observing her, but she’s also been an assertive leader, sharing her veteran wisdom.

“I think it makes it easier because we’re all starting from the ground up, so we’re all going through the same thing.” Hines-Allen added, “We have a lot of people that’s hungry, so just putting all that together and just seeing it, you know, in full effect.”

The Wings have often experimented with small-ball lineups featuring either Smith or Hines-Allen at the center spot. However, recently, they have played alongside each other. Smith has felt that the game becomes easier playing next to an unselfish player like Hines-Allen. Defensively, that combination can switch everything or mix up defensive coverages.

“Myisha knows how to find players—her passing is one of her best attributes,” Smith said. “Playing with her is easy because she’s always looking for people and is really selfless.”

When playing at the five, the Wings naturally run the offense more through Smith inside the arc. It’s an opportunity for her to be aggressive in the post, often taking advantage of mismatches.

“You’ll definitely see more post shots from me,” Smith said. “It’s my bread and butter—I came up with post moves, so I’m just embracing that more.”

Rookies Ready to Contribute

Dallas’s rookie class has quickly shown it’s ready for the professional stage. In their preseason debuts, all three—Paige Bueckers, Aziaha James, and JJ Quinerly—scored in double digits. Quinerly led the team with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, adding two steals and two assists. Bueckers and James each contributed 10 points, with James adding three assists and zero turnovers in just 16 minutes.

James, a two-time First Team All-ACC selection and AP All-American Honorable Mention at NC State, brought a smooth perimeter game and high defensive energy. “It was great—great environment,” she said of playing in front of the home crowd. “It was a great turnout for the preseason game to get that first experience at College Park Center in front of the Dallas crowd.”

“I got myself here for a reason,” James added. “So I’m going to keep showcasing my game and keep going.” She emphasized aggression and confidence in her role, saying, “I got myself here for a reason, so I’m going to keep showcasing my game and keep going.”

Quinerly, the No. 27 overall pick out of West Virginia, played with assertiveness and poise far beyond her draft slot. “I just feel, not surprised, but excited and ready to work and learn,” she said. “I kind of knew for myself that I was able to make it to this level of play, and I think I proved that.”

She pointed to the team’s defensive identity as a source of pride. “We’re super competitive. We definitely going to have that on defense this year,” Quinerly said. “So it’s definitely going to be pretty fun to watch.”

Bueckers, meanwhile, has taken on the challenge of being the team’s primary point guard from day one.

“I want to be a player-led team,” she said. “Regardless of who the voices are, that’s always been the goal for us.”

She has continued emphasizing her focus on growing into the role through patience and trusting that the work will pay off in the long run.

“I’m just trying to build every game and improve,” Bueckers said. “Getting more reps in practice helps with confidence to organize things in games.”

Head coach Chris Koclanes praised the trio’s early impact and the growth since the preseason opener against the Aces in South Bend.

“They got their first taste against Vegas of how much quicker and more physical this league is,” Koclanes said. “It takes effort and desire. Yes, technical skills matter, but a lot of it comes down to fight.”

Koclanes also emphasized how the early finalization of the roster has improved the team’s focus.

“When you’re not managing 17 or 18 people and splitting reps, you can get more work done in a more efficient manner,” Koclanes said. “You can start to look at groupings and begin building the identity we want.”

With composure, production, and buy-in already evident, Dallas’s rookies aren’t simply adjusting—they’re contributing. Their impact will continue to grow as the season unfolds, forming a vital part of the Wings’ emerging identity.

Minnesota Lynx Return to Arlington as Contenders

While Dallas is building something new, the Minnesota Lynx are running it back with the core that powered their 30–10 regular season and a trip to the WNBA Finals in 2024. After falling in five games to the New York Liberty, the Lynx return motivated to finish the job. Head coach Cheryl Reeve, now entering her 15th season and already a four-time WNBA champion, remains the league’s longest-tenured coach and one of its most demanding.

“Each iteration of the Lynx is different,” Reeve said. “Things change. Life hits people. So you have to figure out what this team is.”

She backed up those words in training camp, cutting one practice short and sending the team home early due to a lack of energy and urgency.

“By the way they showed up today, it felt like they were not interested in really being here and working on anything. They don’t have a game until Friday, so why are we here? That’s what today was,” Reeve said. “I was still in training camp, they weren’t. They were onto something else.”

Reeve’s expectations stem from a defensive standard anchoring last year’s team. Minnesota ranked in the top two in multiple defensive metrics, and Reeve has reminded her players that defensive intensity must be earned all over again.

“We were top two defense, depending on which metric you looked at… We turned people over at a rate that I think maybe I had one other team that was able to do that, and playing in transition was vital to our offensive success,” Reeve said. “We will be certain that we make no assumptions on that end of the floor.”

That intensity starts with Napheesa Collier. The 6-foot-1 forward is coming off a career-best season, averaging 20.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, finishing second in MVP voting and winning Defensive Player of the Year. Collier enters her sixth WNBA season with a clear mindset—and no interest in letting the Finals loss slide.

“I am a sore loser. It sucks! I agree with you. I am very sore about losing,” Collier admitted in a candid offseason interview.

She also made clear that her focus remains squarely on winning, not individual recognition.

“If the team is not doing well, you’re not going to get those individual accolades anyway,” she said. “Individual accolades aren’t my goal—the team stuff is my goal.”

“There is pressure,” Collier added. “The pressure is from knowing what we’re capable of. But I’ve always said I like pressure. I think it helps you perform to your best self.”

The Lynx return all five starters—an uncommon level of continuity in a league defined by player movement. However, the team will be without Kayla McBride due to personal reasons and possibly Alanna Smith, who is doubtful because of a quad injury. Their sharp ball movement, off-ball execution, and willingness to defend every possession make them one of the most challenging teams to scout and stop.

With Collier leading the charge, the group remains focused on one goal: bringing a fifth WNBA championship back to Minnesota. Wings head coach Chris Koclanes said preparing for the Lynx presents one of the toughest opening tests in the league.

“It starts with their speed in transition,” he said. “Their posts are relentless running to the rim, their guards are aggressive hunting threes early, and in the halfcourt, they’re top of the league in assists. Collier is the engine—her effort is unmatched, and she plays with a motor that makes you pay if you’re late by even a step. You have to guard multiple actions in every possession. They’ll make you defend for a full shot clock.”

A Spotlight Moment for Dallas

This season marks the Wings’ 10th in North Texas. The franchise has made the playoffs in five of the last nine seasons and reached the semifinals in 2023. But with the arrival of Bueckers and a restructured core, the expectations are shifting.

The Wings begin their season at a pivotal moment in WNBA history. National interest in the league has surged with a loaded rookie class, new media partnerships, and expansion on the horizon. Dallas is now a focal point in the basketball world with both the Wings and Mavericks holding No. 1 picks this year.

“Dallas is definitely the place to be right now,” Koclanes said. “It’s an exciting time to be here. My job is to make sure the spotlight shines on all these players—putting them in positions to succeed and allowing them to shine.”

For Bueckers, the moment isn’t about pressure but presence.

“I want to invest in my teammates,” she said. “The more you focus on helping others, the less pressure you put on yourself. I just want to have fun and stay present.”

On Friday night, in front of a sold-out crowd and with the spotlight fixed firmly on College Park Center, she’ll begin the next chapter — and the Wings will try to launch one of their own.

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