I moved to the city of Dallas, TX during the 2023-24 NBA season to begin covering the Dallas Mavericks. The following spring, I would begin covering the Dallas Wings as well. Although my focus was primarily on basketball, I am a sports fan at heart. In 2023 and 2024 I spoke with a number of fans in Dallas who were excited about the futures of their sports teams.
In addition to the Mavs and Wings, the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers all had reasons for optimism. Heck, the Rangers were fresh off a World Series victory in 2023. Meanwhile, the Cowboys had stars such as Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons ready to lead the way. Dallas sports was in a favorable position for the most part.
Fast-forward to August of 2025 and things have changed to say the least. In February, the Mavericks traded franchise star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most shocking moves in the history of sports. Nico Harrison's decision almost made Dallas sports fans forget about their frustrations with the Cowboys. Jerry Jones made sure to recently remind them, however, as the Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in another surprising move.
Meanwhile, the Stars faltered once again in the postseason and the Rangers have been average at best since the aforementioned '23 Fall Classic. Of course, you clicked on this article to see why the city of Dallas needs a star from a team that has endured struggles of its own — the Dallas Wings.
The Wings currently hold the worst record in the entire WNBA. It has not been completely their fault, though, as injuries have decimated the team's season.
With that being said, 2025 WNBA No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers has unquestionably been a bright spot. It's one thing to play at a high level, however, but it's another thing to become a franchise superstar. Bueckers, in all reality, has an opportunity to become even more than that in the city of Dallas.
Paige Bueckers could become the face of Dallas sports
Dak Prescott is a great quarterback but his postseason struggles have frustrated fans for years. Corey Seager has missed a significant amount of time with injuries. Cooper Flagg — the 2025 NBA No. 1 overall pick — is a candidate to fill Doncic's shoes in Dallas, but frustration with the Mavs over the Luka trade remains. As a result, there may be some hesitancy to completely embrace Flagg from some fans.
Bueckers was popular at UConn. She has brought her popularity to Dallas. It is not uncommon to walk down a street in the city and see a Bueckers No. 5 jersey.
The city needs a new face of the sports scene. Doncic and Parsons were both beloved in Dallas. They will be missed for years to come, but Bueckers is here now. Fans are ready to embrace their next superstar.
But why Bueckers? What makes the young woman from a small town in Minnesota such a great candidate to fill such a big role?
Bueckers is the perfect candidate
Bueckers is the front-runner for the Rookie of the Year for a reason. She seemingly ties or breaks a new rookie record almost every night. However, her leadership is also admirable. Following a recent 100-78 loss to the Atlanta Dream, Bueckers shared the following comment during postgame media:
“And I remember Steph Curry, before the Warriors became the Warriors, like, he tweeted out, like, ‘just stick with us… We're gonna figure it out.' That's the message,” Bueckers told reporters.
Everyone around the Wings that I have talked to has had nothing but positive things to say about Bueckers. From her teammates, coaches, people in the front office, media members and fans, Bueckers is both respected and well-received in the city of Dallas.
Despite the Wings' struggles, it feels as if something special is brewing. It feels like the opening scene of a sports movie where the character makes a bold statement after dealing with adversity. It's the moment where the critics laugh while the protagonist quietly puts in the work behind the scenes.
The future is bright once again with Paige Bueckers in the city.
It's Paige Buckets time in Dallas.
