‘It Was Really Special’: Paige Bueckers, Jessica Shepard Start Opposite Sides In 2026 WNBA All-Star Game

CHICAGO — The Dallas Wings sent two players to the All-Star Game and then watched them line up across from each other for the opening tip.

Paige Bueckers started at guard for Team Coop, her second consecutive All-Star start. Jessica Shepard started at forward for Team Spoon in her first All-Star Game. Spoon won 129-122 in front of a sellout crowd of 19,783.

Shepard did not miss a shot. She went 3-of-3 from the field, made her only 3-point attempt, and added 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block across 18 minutes for 7 points. Bueckers played 25:06, second-most on Team Coop, and shot 5-of-11 with 2 made 3-pointers.

Jessica Shepard’s First All-Star Game

Three of Shepard’s 5 assists came in the opening quarter, two of them on transition layups for A’ja Wilson.

Her block came against Marina Mabrey with 8:10 to go in the second quarter, on a 22-foot attempt. She scored her second basket 57 seconds later, running the floor for a fast-break layup off a Caitlin Clark feed.

Shepard scored the first basket of her All-Star career on a layup from Olivia Miles with 7:45 left in the opening quarter, putting Team Spoon ahead 10-9. Three of her assists came in that first quarter, two of them on transition layups for A’ja Wilson.

Her block came against Marina Mabrey with 8:10 to go in the second quarter, on a 22-foot attempt.

Shepard signed a multi-year deal with Dallas in April after spending her entire WNBA career with the Minnesota Lynx. Her 16th double-double of the season, on July 19 against the Los Angeles Sparks, set the Wings’ single-season record.

Speaking Friday at All-Star practice, Shepard was asked what she had taken from the weekend to that point.

“I think it’s being able to be around so many great players and getting to know each other outside of basketball,” Shepard said.

Shepard also competed in Friday’s Shooting Stars event. Wings rookie Azzi Fudd was the only first-year player in the six-shooter 3-Point Contest field the same night.

Paige Bueckers Scoreless Until The Third Quarter

Bueckers looked for the pass before the shot in the first half. She attempted two field goals in 10 minutes, 44 seconds, missed both, and spent the stretch setting up teammates. Four of her 7 assists came in the second quarter, two of them on Mitchell baskets and the others on layups for Natasha Howard and Mabrey. Team Spoon built a 17-point cushion over that span and took an 81-64 lead into the break.

Her first points came on a 25-foot 3-pointer from Mitchell with 7:31 remaining in the third.She began hunting her own shot after halftime. Her first points came on a 25-foot 3-pointer from Mitchell with 7:31 remaining in the third, and 9 of her 11 attempts came in the second half.

The fourth quarter accounted for 9 of her 12 points. Bueckers went 4-of-6 in the period, including a 26-foot 3-pointer off a Gabby Williams feed, a driving layup, and a 13-foot pull-up with 39.8 seconds left that pulled Team Coop within 127-120.

Bueckers arrived in Chicago after leaving Dallas’ July 19 win over Los Angeles with just over three minutes remaining when she hit her head. She was not placed in concussion protocol. Through the first half of the season, she has led the Wings at 20.7 points and 6.3 assists per game.

The One Possession They Shared

Two days before tip-off, Bueckers was told that Shepard enjoys competing against her because, in Shepard’s words, “She can’t guard me.”

“I know her. I know all her moves. I’ve seen it. I’ve been around it,” Bueckers said Friday. “So I’m locking that up. I’m not a mismatch either. If she tries to take me into the post, I’m going to stand my ground, and she’s not moving me.”

Shepard went looking for the matchup in the opening minutes, seeking out Bueckers on the floor and scoring over her with 7:45 left in the first quarter. The layup, off a feed from Olivia Miles, was the first basket of her All-Star career and put Team Spoon ahead 10-9. She held up the too-small gesture on her way back down the floor.

The two shared the court for 4 minutes, 57 seconds to open the game, and never overlapped in the second quarter — Shepard checked out at the 5:47 mark, the same stoppage that brought Bueckers in.

With 6:42 to play in the fourth, Bueckers knocked the ball loose from Shepard for Shepard’s second turnover of the night. Mitchell converted the runout five seconds later to cut the Spoon lead to 113-103.

Shepard’s own steal had come 37 seconds earlier, off Dominique Malonga.

‘It Was Really Special To Experience This With Her’

Bueckers spoke about Shepard afterward at the postgame press conference.

“Jess is incredibly deserving of this opportunity,” Bueckers said. “She means so much to our team in Dallas, and she’s had a great career. She spent a long time on a really deep Minnesota Lynx team and completely embraced the role they needed her to play. Now she’s in Dallas with a bigger role, and she’s meant so much to our basketball team.”

The two have been teammates since April. Dallas won six straight games earlier this month, the longest streak in franchise history.

“It was really special to experience this with her,” Bueckers said. “She’s an even better human being than she is a basketball player, and she’s already pretty great at basketball. So it was really fun sharing this weekend with her.”

Shepard was asked Friday about the free agency process that brought her to Dallas.

“I wanted to go somewhere that wanted to win,” Shepard said. “Hearing everything Dallas had to say and looking at the incredible young players they have made the decision pretty easy for me.”

The Rest Of The Night

Mitchell led all scorers with 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting for Team Coop. Mabrey scored 23, including 17 in the first quarter on 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Jonquel Jones posted 22 points and 13 rebounds for Team Spoon, and Allisha Gray added 19.

Malonga threw down a driving dunk with 6:24 left in the second quarter off an assist from Angel Reese. Bueckers was asked about it in the postgame press conference.

“She makes it look easy,” Bueckers said. “Thankfully she was on my team, so I got to see it up close and personal.”

Team Spoon shot 49.5% from the field and 20-of-61 from 3. Team Coop shot 42.4% and made 21 of its 66 attempts from deep. Spoon led by as many as 18 and never trailed after the 5:30 mark of the second quarter.

What’s Next

Dallas comes out of the All-Star break at 18-9 and hosts the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday, July 29, at College Park Center. Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard played 22 minutes off the bench for Team Spoon on Saturday, finishing with 8 points and 3 rebounds.