Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings have stumbled out of the gate to start the 2025 WNBA season, posting a league-worst 1-11 record through their first 12 games.
They’ll have a shot to break their losing streak on Tuesday when they face off against Kate Martin and the Golden State Valkyries.
Bueckers missed four games during the Wings’ current seven-game skid due to a concussion and illness. Still, the former UConn standout has been one of the league’s top rookies, averaging 17.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per contest.
Despite her own rising star status, Bueckers has long admired another UConn great — her favorite WNBA player, Maya Moore.
During a “one-minute drill” interview with Dallas’ WFAA on the night she was selected No. 1 overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Bueckers was asked a series of quick questions. When asked who her favorite WNBA player was, she replied, “Probably Maya Moore,” in a video released Tuesday.
Bueckers also shared that her favorite NBA player growing up was Kyrie Irving, who now plays for the Dallas Mavericks.
Moore, considered one of the all-time WNBA greats, had a dominant eight-season run with the Minnesota Lynx from 2011 to 2018, winning four championships alongside stars like Seimone Augustus.
She retired with seven All-WNBA selections, an MVP, and a spot in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
While Bueckers finished her college career with a national title and is already being viewed as one of UConn’s best, Maya Moore’s legacy still looms large — with two NCAA championships and a record 3,036 career points under Geno Auriemma.
