As Paige Bueckers’ rookie season in the WNBA with the Dallas Wings continues, her next stop is a return to her hometown against the Minnesota Lynx. Bueckers grew up in Minnesota and attended nearby Hopkins High School where she blossomed into the top recruit in her class. Plenty has happened since then, between winning a national championship at UConn and being drafted by the Wings, but she’s back where it all began.

Ahead of the Wings’ game against the Lynx, Paige Bueckers spoke about what it means to her to come back to her hometown, now as a WNBA player.

“It’s very fun and exciting. I’m extremely grateful and blessed,” Bueckers said.

Not only that, but with Bueckers returning to Minnesota, her home city of Hopkins will temporarily rename itself to, ‘Paige Bueckers, Minnesota.’ Bueckers admitted she was initially skeptical upon hearing the news.

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“I thought it was fake news, like I didn’t actually think it was real. I saw it on social media, and you can’t believe all the things you read on social media,” Bueckers said. “Just to be embraced by the city, I’m so proud to be from Minnesota, proud to be from Hopkins and represent that city, that state. It’s crazy, but super grateful that they would even think to do that.”

So far, Bueckers’ rookie season in the WNBA has been off to a solid start. The No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft has been playing a little over 33 minutes in the Wings’ first two games of the season. She’s averaging 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocked shots with splits of 41.7 percent shooting from the field, 25 percent shooting from the three-point line and 88.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

During the Wings’ last game, a 79-71 loss to the Seattle Storm, Bueckers finished with 19 points, five rebounds and eight assists in 37 minutes.

The Wings are 0-2, however, to start the season, including a loss to the Lynx already on opening night. The team underwent major changes in the offseason with the hiring of Curt Miller as general manager and Chris Koclanes as head coach. The team also brought in several key new players such as DiJonai Carrington, Nalyssa Smith and the return of Tyasha Harris.