Chosen first overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Paige Bueckers made her debut on May 16 against her home-state Minnesota Lynx, scoring 10 points. Just days later, she recorded her first double-double with 12 points and 10 assists.
While the Wings have struggled this season, holding a 2–11 record and sitting at the bottom of the standings, Bueckers has continued to impress. She currently leads all rookies in scoring (17.7 points per game), assists (5.7), and steals (2.1).
Off the court, Bueckers’ public profile is also gaining momentum. On Wednesday, she posted a carousel of photos to Instagram with the caption, “Got a dubski dump 😝.” One image featured her alongside former UConn teammate Kaitlyn Chen, who was leaning in for a kiss on the cheek. Chen playfully commented, “hard launch,” a phrase typically used to indicate a public reveal of a relationship.
Bueckers enrolled at UConn in 2020 as the top-ranked high school recruit in the nation. As a freshman, she made history as the first to ever win all major national player of the year awards, including the AP Player of the Year, Naismith Trophy, USBWA Player of the Year, and the Wooden Award.
Although knee injuries sidelined her for most of her sophomore season and all of her junior year, she returned strong to guide the Huskies to an undefeated Big East campaign and a national championship in April.
She concluded her college career as UConn’s all-time leader in scoring average (19.8 PPG) and third in total points (2,439).
Chen began her collegiate career at Princeton, where she was named Ivy League Player of the Year in 2023 and earned three straight Ivy League tournament MVP honors. She transferred to UConn for her final year of eligibility in 2024-2025, forming a dynamic backcourt duo with Bueckers under legendary coach Geno Auriemma that led the Huskies to their 12th national title.
In April, Chen made history as the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted into the WNBA, going 29th overall to the expansion Golden State Valkyries.
