Paige Bueckers is already one of the WNBA’s brightest young stars, but according to her coach, her biggest advantage isn’t even basketball-it’s football.
During a Dallas Wings practice before their clash with the Los Angeles Sparks, the team swapped the basketballs for footballs as part of a passing drill designed to build arm strength and precision.
While most players struggled with the heavier ball, Bueckers was dropping spirals like a seasoned quarterback. Head coach Curt Miller couldn’t hide his amazement.
Great point guards are also good quarterbacks
“In 13 years of doing recruit-style football drills, I’ve never seen a great player who couldn’t throw a great ball,” Miller wrote after posting a video of Bueckers rifling pinpoint passes. “Paige was throwing bombs today.”
It’s no coincidence that her football skills translate directly to the court. Bueckers, the No.1 pick in the 2025 draft, is averaging 18.8 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.7 steals per game-numbers that already put her among the league’s top guards.
Even with Dallas sitting 11th in the standings (9-26) and virtually out of playoff contention, Bueckers’ performances have been a silver lining in a difficult season.
Bueckers is on par with Clark
The football drill also sparked comparisons with Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, who earlier this year went viral when the NFL reposted her casually launching one-handed darts across the gym. Clark’s ability to rifle football passes mirrors the same quick, one-handed deliveries that make her such a lethal playmaker in basketball.
Now Bueckers has shown she can match that energy, proving she’s not just Clark’s rival, but her equal when it comes to vision and precision. As Miller summed it up: point guards and pinpoint passes go hand in hand-whether it’s on the court or on the gridiron.
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