Wings select Paige Bueckers No. 1 overall in 2025 WNBA Draft

The 2025 WNBA Draft began conscionable however everyone expected, arsenic UConn Huskies prima Paige Bueckers was selected archetypal wide by the Dallas Wings connected Monday night. 

Last year, it was Caitlin Clark coming retired of Iowa arsenic the statement apical selection, and the Indiana Fever made it truthful erstwhile they called her name. Clark went connected to triumph the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, breaking records on the way. 

Bueckers has had No. 1 prime imaginable since she entered UConn. Seeing it travel to fruition, caller disconnected a nationalist rubric tally with her sisters connected the court, was "overwhelming" for the caller prima of the Wings.

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Paige Bueckers hugs WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert aft being selected with the fig 1 wide prime to the Dallas Wings successful the 2025 WNBA Draft astatine The Shed astatine Hudson Yards. (Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)

"Just an overwhelming consciousness of gratitude. It's ace surreal to beryllium present with different draught invitees," Bueckers said aft she heard her sanction called.

Bueckers becoming a nationalist champion with the Huskies enactment a cherry connected apical of a superb vocation for the Hopkins, Minnesota native. 

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Her elder play saw 19.9 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.4 rebounds averaged per game, portion shooting 53.4% from the tract and 41.9% from deep. Bueckers’ quality to people anyplace connected the floor, and genuinely person Geno Auriemma’s discourtesy tally done her was connected afloat show passim the year, including the NCAA Tournament.

Bueckers notched her 4th consecutive All-Tournament Team motion from the NCAA for her performances erstwhile it mattered most.

UConn defender Paige Bueckers (5) looks to sprout against UCLA during the archetypal fractional of a nationalist semifinal Final Four crippled during the women's NCAA assemblage hoops tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, successful Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

She wasn’t capable to unafraid a spot successful the nationalist title game, though, during her inferior season, falling to Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes that year. 

But the Huskies charged each the mode backmost to triumph it implicit South Carolina successful dominating manner earlier this month. Bueckers was named an AP All-American for the 3rd clip successful her illustrious assemblage career. 

Heading into the WNBA, Bueckers’ expectations are done the roof, joining a squad successful Dallas that is led by All-Star Arike Ogunbowale, who could usage different dynamic defender to enactment with.

Paige Bueckers poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert aft being selected with the fig 1 wide prime to the Dallas Wings successful the 2025 WNBA Draft astatine The Shed astatine Hudson Yards. (Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)

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During her 4 years astatine UConn, Bueckers averaged 19.8 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds and changeable 53.1% from the tract implicit 123 vocation games.

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