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Months before the WNBA draft, reports surfaced that Paige Bueckers may try to avoid playing for the Dallas Wings, who secured the No. 1 pick in November.
The belief was that Bueckers, a fifth-year player at UConn and the consensus No. 1 pick, may pull an Eli Manning–type move to try to start with an established team in the WNBA. The Wings are one of five “independent” WNBA teams, meaning their ownership does not also own another major professional sports team in the same city.
The Wings play in College Park Center in Arlington, which has a capacity of 7,000, one of the league’s smallest, and their franchise has yet to win a championship since moving from Detroit in 2010 (first to Tulsa, then to Texas in 2016).
It’s been nearly a month since the Wings drafted (and kept) Bueckers, and on Thursday, the rookie guard spoke positively about her first few weeks with the organization.
“They have all the resources that you need to be successful, especially recovery, [which] is important going from season to season. And then just having resources off the court as well, like pilates and a sports psych,” Bueckers said at a press conference.
Bueckers also highlighted how she’s enjoyed the community she’s building within the organization.
“Coach Chris [Koclanes] talked about how finding success is important, but you want to find great people first. I think they’ve done a great job from top to bottom, finding great people who are easy to work with, easy to work for,” Bueckers said.
In the weeks leading up to the draft, it appeared the Wings were poised to select Bueckers amid all the noise. The organization was pushing to change the perception that it cannot provide the young star with the same resources that she could receive from other teams.
“When I look at things now, I really feel like there’s this false narrative around Dallas,” Wings CEO and managing partner Greg Bibb told Front Office Sports a week before the draft.
The Wings are set to play their home games at the Dallas Memorial Arena starting next season after agreeing to a 15-year, $19 million agreement in 2024. The arena can seat nearly 10,000, but perhaps more importantly, allows them to play in downtown Dallas. They are also expected to have a new state-of-the-art practice facility ready by next year.
