At this point, there is no denying that Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers is living out a dream. A dream dating back to her early years in Minnesota that she is now sharing with her family and friends. 

One of those friends, former UConn teammate Aubrey Griffin, exchanged an embrace with Bueckers on Thursday. Griffin plays for the Minnesota Lynx, which is taking on the Wings in Minnesota. 

Both helped UConn win a national championship in April, the 12th in program history. Arguably, it was Bueckers' best season at UConn, averaging 19.9 points per game and winning the coveted Nancy Lieberman Award as the top point guard.

She also won the Wade Trophy as the top Division 1 women's basketball player. Griffin played six years, averaging 7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. In December 2022, she tied a program record for the most field goals made without a miss with 11 against Princeton. 

After winning the title, the Wings selected Bueckers as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft. The Lynx drafted Griffin as a third-round pick. 

Fittingly, during the draft, Bueckers spoke up so that Griffin could get drafted. 

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Paige Bueckers advocated for Aubrey Griffin in the draft.

After the Wings selected Bueckers, she persuaded teams to draft Griffin and her fellow teammate Kaitlyn Chen. She said it would be “genius” for some team to draft both. 

Ultimately, Bueckers' efforts paid off, as both were drafted. Later, Chen was drafted by the Golden State Valkyries. 

Undoubtedly, Bueckers is considered to be the next generation of talent entering the WNBA. The Wings have high hopes for her in the years ahead as the look to become a premiere franchise. 

Obviously, she had enough cache to ensure that two of her teammates joined her for the ride of a lifetime. In essence, a true friend if there ever was one.