UConn's Paige Bueckers Goes 1st at WNBA Draft

Paige Bueckers becomes the sixth UConn Huskies rep to earn top pick honors at the WNBA Draft.

Dec 7, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts after missing a shot during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images | Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

University of Connecticut Huskies star Paige Bueckers will officially Wing it upon her WNBA entry.

With the first pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Dallas Wings selected Bueckers, who embarks on her professional journey after four storied seasons in Storrs.

It has already been a busy week on the professional front for Bueckers, who also signed a three-year deal with Unrivaled, the three-on-three league co-founded by fellow UConn alumnae Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. She departs Storrs on the highest of notes, having guided the Huskies to their record-extending 12th national championship.

The championship ring just one of many trophies she'll be taking to North Texas with her: she also recently earned the 2025 Wade Trophy for the most outstanding women's player in the country and she is one of three Huskies (next to Sue Bird and Maya Moore) to win multiple Nancy Lieberman Awards grated to the nation's top point guard.

The Edina, MN native stands as the third-leading scorer in Huskies history (behind only Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart) and her 19.9-point scoring average is best in program history. She also ranks eighth in assists and 10th in steals and is also the program's leading scorer in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. Bueckers overcame several medical hardships to leave her lasting mark on the program, which includes a triumphant return that cost her the entire 2022-23 campaign.

Bueckers becomes the sixth Husky to earn top pick honors at the WNBA Draft, extending the program's record. She's joined in that elite sisterhood by Bird (2002, Seattle), Taurasi (2004, Phoenix), Tina Charles (2010, Connecticut), Moore (2011, Minnesota), and Stewart (2016, Seattle).

Ready to rep North Texas, Bueckers now joins a Wings group that is seeking a return to the WNBA postseason after winning only nine games in this past season. Bueckers will join fellow former Husky Lou Lopez Sénéchal (chosen fifth in the 2023 draft) as well as four-time WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and newly-acquired veteran DiJonai Carrington, the latest winner of the Most Improved Player title.

Bueckers is due to make her official WNBA debut on May 16 when they face the Minnesota Lynx at home.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags