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Paige Bueckers Makes Her Opinion of Kyrie Irving Extremely Clear

Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers spoke about Mavericks icon Kyrie Irving.
Grant Young|
Apr 14, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Paige Bueckers is interviewed by ESPN after being selected with the number one overall pick to the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Apr 14, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Paige Bueckers is interviewed by ESPN after being selected with the number one overall pick to the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

When the Dallas Wings selected former UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft earlier this month, it marked a much-needed positive moment in what has been a brutal few months for professional basketball in Dallas.

This is owed to the Dallas Mavericks, which is the city's NBA team, bearing the brunt of constant scrutiny ever since they traded NBA great Luka Doncic out of nowhere earlier this year (which Bueckers couldn't help but comment on when it happened).

The franchise (specifically GM Nico Harrison) has been getting blasted for this decision, which backfired with the Mavericks not making it past the NBA Playoffs' play-in tournament.

However, even after losing Luka, the Mavericks still have several superstars on their team; most notably Kyrie Irving, who is on the mend after suffering a torn ACL during a March game.

Bueckers had her introductory press conference with the Wings on April 23. And at one point, she sent a clear message about playing in the same city as Irving.

"He has been my favorite player for forever now, so super excited to be in the same city as him," Bueckers said of Irving, per an X post from @aysiacchanell. "Hope I can learn a lot from him. I know he's going through an ACL journey himself, so to be able to lean on and support each other through that, I think, is something that can be motivating.

"But just excited for Dallas itself. Like I said, a great sports city. But yeah, great to be in the same city as him," she continued.

Perhaps Kyrie will attend some Wings home games for Bueckers' rookie season.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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