Paige Bueckers finished her first year in the WNBA after being selected by the Dallas Wings with the first overall pick in the draft.
However, before the former UConn Huskies player was named Rookie of the Year or even thought about this distinction, an NBA veteran gave her a warm welcome to Dallas: Kyrie Irving. Since then, their bond has grown, and Paige explained how their friendship and mutual admiration began.
Paige and Kyrie’s friendship makes fans happy
Still riding high from winning the NCAA title with UConn, Paige made her way to Dallas, where she was greeted by the Mavericks star via video after being selected in the draft.
Now, they reunited to cheer on Cooper Flagg’s preseason debut on Monday night against the reigning NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, Paige took the opportunity to share a moment and exchange words with her mentor and “favorite player.”
“Two of the best guards,” “Love to see it,” “Crazy two legends,” “my goats,” were some of the comments left by fans on a video shared by the NBA on X.
The truth is that last month, in an interview with People, Bueckers had already shed light on her friendship with Irving: “He’s been my player growing up, and I’d always looked up to him, and he has just like a really unique journey and story,” Bueckers said. “I feel like he’s misunderstood sometimes. And for me, for him to still be authentically himself and not care about other people’s opinions – that’s something I really admired growing up.”
However, something that also caught the attention was Bueckers’ approach to how mutual respect can connect leagues and inspire the next generation: “He really cares about the next generation and women’s basketball. He’s always been supportive, and it means so much coming from someone like him.”
In fact, during the season, Kyrie attended a Paige and Wings game against the Indiana Fever, and they continue to stay in touch, supporting each other and their teammates.
Meanwhile, the ROTY finished her year averaging 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 36 games with the Wings. Meanwhile, Irving continues to recover from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery he underwent last March and confirmed that he still does not have a specific date for his return to the court.
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