Paige Bueckers: Taking Flight from Minnesota to Dallas Wings
ARLINGTON, Texas — At age five, Paige Bueckers picked up a basketball and never looked back. For many, childhood dreams fade with time — but for Bueckers, that spark only grew brighter.
Now, at 23, Bueckers stands on the edge of a new chapter as a rookie with the Dallas Wings, bringing with her a national championship, five years of resilience at UConn, and a voice that inspires far beyond the court.
“Yeah. I think it was at a very young age when I first picked up the basketball,” Bueckers said. “I just fell in love as soon as I touched it. I played all the sports when I was younger, but I had a different feeling when I played basketball. But it was probably around third or fourth grade that I realized this is something I want to do for my entire life.”
What began in Minnesota has taken her to a national spotlight few experience and even fewer handle with such grace. From her time as a prep standout at Hopkins High School to her emotionally and physically demanding college career at UConn, Bueckers’ path has been filled with both promise and pain.
Her freshman season began not in front of a sold-out Gampel Pavilion crowd, but in near silence. COVID-19 delayed the season and forced teams to play in empty gyms.
“I've had [an opportunity] to actually see a clip of that recently which refreshed my memories of just how awful it was,” said Allen Bestwick, who called UConn women’s games for SNY over the past six seasons. “The circumstances under which Paige started her collegiate career and that these kids played under back then — I had completely forgotten that the first game didn't even happen until the beginning of December, where normally college basketball starts the beginning of November.”
“All of the games in November, the Thanksgiving tournament they were going to play and all that had all been canceled by COVID,” he continued. “And here these kids who dream of coming to play at Gampel Pavilion before 10,000 roaring UConn fans with the banners on the walls and the whole thing — they're playing before nobody. I mean, just a few dozen people.”
That strange and sterile environment did not shake her. Instead, she adapted, led, and rose to every challenge — including injuries that would test even the strongest athletes.
“It wasn’t the journey I expected it to be,” Bueckers said. “As a young kid, I thought I was invincible. I really didn’t — injuries didn’t happen to me and my body was fine. Stuff like that.”
“But just to remain who I am regardless of the circumstances and enjoy where I'm at,” she said. “To be at UConn, my dream school, to be playing in the WNBA — it’s just a dream. And I wanted it. It worked, and so many people helped it become a reality.”