The WNBA Draft lights up New York today, and the Dallas Wings are poised to make waves by selecting Paige Bueckers, the dazzling guard from the University of Connecticut, with the first overall pick. At 23, Bueckers enters the pros fresh off a national championship triumph and brings a resume that screams superstar potential.
She’s the only freshman ever to win the Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Award and led UConn to four straight Final Four appearances. Her final chapter with the Huskies was electric, capped by a 17-point performance in the title game against South Carolina after a record-breaking 40-point explosion against Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament. With 477 career tournament points, she ranks third all-time behind Caitlin Clark (491) and Chamique Holdsclaw (479).
Bueckers now joins UConn legends like Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore – each a No. 1 pick after a championship season. For Dallas, she’s a game-changer similar to Clark’s impact at Indiana, though her injury history remains the only wild card. If she can shake that off, the Wings could have their next big thing.
Bueckers’ Arrival Sparks Clark-Like Hype in Dallas
Paige Bueckers has the Dallas Wings brass buzzing with comparisons to Caitlin Clark, last year’s top pick who turned the Indiana Fever into a phenomenon. Wings president Greg Bibb doesn’t hold back: “Drafting Paige will take our team and women’s hoops in North Texas to new heights,” he insists, hinting at the kind of frenzy Clark unleashed in Indy.
The signs are already there – the future No. 1 pick triggered a $50,000 jump in ticket sales, and season memberships sold out five months ahead of last year’s pace. It’s a vibe reminiscent of the Fever’s boom, when Clark’s debut fueled a 320% increase in attendance and a media storm. Bueckers has her own pull-back in 2022, her UConn-South Carolina title game drew 4.85 million viewers, the most since 2004, in what we might call the “pre-Caitlin” days or “B.C“.
I get it-folks may be tired of hearing Caitlin Clark’s name in the same breath, but after her unreal NCAA run and splash as a pro, comparing her to a talent like Bueckers feels inevitable. They are on a collision course to meet again soon, this time as pros, with Bueckers expected to pair with Arike Ogunbowale in the Wings’ backcourt. Mark your calendars for Friday, June 27 – this matchup will be must-see TV. But for Bueckers to shine, she’ll have to carve her own path, stepping out of Clark’s towering shadow while living up to the lofty expectations of a No. 1 pick.
Draft Night Begins a Season of High Expectations
Beyond the Buckers, the 2025 WNBA Draft promises plenty of twists and turns. The Washington Mystics, with new leadership and picks at the third, fourth, and sixth spots, hold a lot of sway over this class. After Dallas locks up Bueckers, the Seattle Storm are tipped to draft Dominique Malonga, a 6-foot-6 French center who is tearing it up for Lyon with 15.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. The Mystics could look to USC’s Kiki Iriafen, a former teammate of JuJu Watkins, to shake up their lineup. Five teams – New York, Indiana, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Atlanta – traded away their first-round picks, shrinking the pool and raising the stakes.
For Bueckers, though, the spotlight remains on Dallas, where she’ll begin a new chapter alongside Ogunbowale. The Wings are counting on her to tilt the balance of power in the league, taking on Clark’s Fever and the WNBA’s heavy hitters like the Aces, Liberty and Lynx.
Dallas fans are hyped, the league is on notice, and Bueckers looks ready to go. If she can stay injury-free and play to her full potential, she could not only change the Wings, she could redefine the WNBA and ignite a rivalry with Clark that will keep us all glued to our screens.
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