Paige Bueckers goes No. 1 to Wings in WNBA draft as UConn star begins new era

The Paige Bueckers era has arrived.

The former UConn superstar joined the WNBA on Monday night when she was selected No.

1 overall by the Dallas Wings at the leagues draft at The Shed in Manhattans Hudson Yards.

Mondays draft officially put an end to the speculation that swirled for the past few months regarding what Bueckers might do in this years draft.

Dallas reportedly was not a desired location for Bueckers , and there were whispers that the former UConn phenom could pull an Eli Manning and make the unprecedented move to force her way to a different franchise.

But Bueckers at the end of the day just wants to play basketball and do her part in helping bring eyes to the worlds most competitive womens professional basketball league.

And Monday night was all about Bueckers, who started her day at the Empire State Building and ended it wearing a bedazzled suit and Wings cap.

Its been nearly two decades since the Wings then known as the Detroit Shock won three championships in six years.

The Dallas Wings have relocated twice and rebranded once since.

Bueckers, the Wings first No.

1 pick in franchise history, could be a catalyst in helping change that.

A talented, efficient scorer and versatile defender, Bueckers, 23, established herself as one of UConns all-time greats during her five years with the Huskies.

In 2021, Bueckers became the first freshman to win the Naismith Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in college basketball.

Injuries delayed some of her greatness.

But Bueckers took the Huskies to four Final Fours when she was healthy.

Last season, she averaged 19.9 points, 4.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game en route to leading UConn to an elusive national championship.

Bueckers is expected to partner with Arike Ogunbowale in the Dallas backcourt.

Those two, paired with recently acquired wing stopper Dijonai Carrington, could immediately propel the Wings back to the playoffs after a one-year absence.

The Wings are coming off one of their worst seasons in franchise history.

Dallas went 9-31, but lucked out at the draft lottery in November.

Its been a busy offseason, though, for the Wings, who hired Curt Miller to be their general manager.

Miller has been a well-respected coach around the league for some time.

His hiring signaled to the rest of the WNBA that Dallas was serious about changing its reputation and wants to become a more desirable franchise for free agents.

The Wings are currently based in Arlington and practice and play at College Park Center, the home arena on the University of Texas at Arlingtons campus.

The city of Dallas, though, is funding the Wings new $54 million practice facility, which is expected to open when the team moves to Dallas in 2026.

This offseason, Satou Sabally, the Wings No.

2 pick in the 2020 draft, wanted out of Dallas.

As part of the four-team trade that sent Sabally to the Phoenix Mercury, the Wings picked up Carrington, Tyasha Harris, NaLyssa Smith along with several other assets.

And with Bueckers in the fold, the future looks much brighter for Dallas..

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