On Monday night April 14th, the Dallas Wings selected UConn star Paige Bueckers as the number one pick in the WNBA draft.
Q. For the next generation of UConn Huskies, what would be your advice for them playing on the biggest stage and that leadership component when this comes to this program?
PAIGE BUECKERS: To be present, to be where your feet are. There’s a lot of pressures and expectations that come with playing at UConn but just win every day that’s in front of you. Don’t worry about the future, don’t worry about the past, don’t worry about your mistakes, don’t worry about anything but what you’re doing in that moment and making the most of that day and winning that day, conquering that day, and just be where your feet are.
Our Rant: Bueckers had many ups and downs through injuries, only to end her UConn career as a legend with bringing them back to national champs.
Q. Some of the players in the WNBA obviously you have some history with in the college ranks, and now you’re in the W, are there any particular players you’re looking forward to playing against that you haven’t before and any people you’re looking forward to meeting again in the pro ranks?
PAIGE BUECKERS: All of my former teammates that I used to play with, Nika, Aaliyah, Liv, a few others. Those are definitely the ones that I’m most excited about.
Our Rant: It will be fun to see her go up against former rivals Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, as well as stars like Kelsey Plum and Sabrina Ionescu.
Q. I want to ask you about the undeniable impact you have on young people and especially young girls. Fans say you inspire them as athletes and you encourage them to persevere through challenges, and they’re proud of you and your journey. What is it like for you to know the impact that you have on young people?
PAIGE BUECKERS: It means everything. I aspire to be a great role model. I have three younger siblings myself, so to be a great role model, to be somebody that people look up to and find a good influence on is extremely important.I know through the injuries and all the setbacks and the ups and downs, I’ve tried to use that as motivation to show people that they can get through it, too, and you can come back on the other side better. And just to share my faith, share how that has impacted and changed my life and continue to be a great role model for the next generation.
Our Rant: Triumph through hardships and trials in life is always inspiring. Paige has legions of young fans who admire her journey and game.
Q. You’re joining a team that has a solid core and your dynamic with you being on the team, I’m curious how excited you are to play for Dallas and being in a marketplace that’s just as passionate as New England and the UConn Huskies.
PAIGE BUECKERS: Yeah, Dallas is a sports city, so I’m super excited for the support, the new wave of being there, being in a new city, being with a new team and conquering those challenges as a group. But super excited to be there. We’ve got great pieces, a great ownership, great GMs, great coaches. So the entire organization from up to down, I’m extremely excited for it.
Our Rant: Dallas needs a new star! After the Luka Doncic trade by the Mavericks the city will love the new phenom of Paige Bueckers.
Q. What can you express about this draft class and what this means for women’s basketball moving forward?
PAIGE BUECKERS: Yeah, I think this draft class is amazing. I think there’s a lot of college stars and overseas stars, as well, but we just have a passion and a love for the game, and I think just the new wave and generation of basketball players are bringing so much to the game, but obviously off the foundation that the players before us have built. So we’re just continuing to try to grow the game, expand the game, bring the viewership from the college game to the WNBA. So, I think we’re all extremely excited as a draft class.
Our Rant: The growth and popularity of the women’s game is strong. This class and Paige leading it will add to its strength moving forward.
Q. How does it feel knowing that your new teammates are so excited to play with you? Arike has expressed it on social and I spoke with DiJonai earlier and she said she would love to have a player like you as her teammate.
PAIGE BUECKERS: Yeah, just to feel loved, feel supported, it means everything. I can’t wait to play with that system, to play with that team, to embrace that new city. To be in a place that you’re loved and wanted, that’s very important.
Our Rant: Arike and Dijonai with Paige will make a dynamic three to build on in a sports city that will be hungry for new stars!
Q. Your stepbrother wrote on social media that you guys were just doing runs every day in the summer growing up. What are some other — who are some other people that helped you really develop your game that we wouldn’t expect other than PTs and trainers, etc?
PAIGE BUECKERS: Yeah, that’s a good question. Definitely him. We played a lot of one-on-one growing up at the park, and then my old teammate KK Adams from Hopkins, we used to bike and scooter to the park almost every day and always play. But yeah, there’s so many people, Chauncee Hollingsworth was one of my trainers that trained me in high school. Reid Ouse was another one. There’s so many people that contributed to the love for the game at such a young age. But yeah, my stepbrother Randy, he was one of the huge ones.
Our Rant: Very interesting to see the unheralded important people in Paige’s life who helped her basketball journey get recognition on one of biggest stages.
Q. In the sneaker world, obviously a ton of momentum in the sneaker world in women’s basketball specifically. Obviously, you’re signed to Nike. The sneaker world is dying to know when can we expect the Paige 1 signature shoe and talk about the process was working for Nike.
PAIGE BUECKERS: Yeah, I have no idea. Just based off staying in the moment, I haven’t even thought about those conversations, nor have we started those, but there’s a lot of people in line for that that deserve it, as well. Whatever happens in the future, we’ll see. It’s been great working with Nike. They invest so much in me and women’s basketball, in women’s sports. So, it’s been great to have that partnership. They’ve done a lot of stuff with me creatively, as well, in the lifestyle department, not just basketball. They have a great creative team who comes up with great ideas, and they’ve just been very supportive of me. It was easy, it could have been easy to give up on me going through all the injuries and go to someone else that didn’t have that history, but they stuck with me, and I’m extremely grateful for that.
Our Rant: We don’t always get to see the heartfelt side of big companies like Nike and what it means to athletes when injuries and other trials happen in life and sponsors stay with them through it.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Take a look at our 1st round WNBA mock draft predictions before the big day here.
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