Paige Bueckers' Reaction to WNBA Debut in Wings Loss to Lynx Speaks Volumes

There was always going to be a ton of hype around opening night of the WNBA 2025 regular season, given how long the women's basketball community has waited since last season came to a conclusion.

However, this year's opening night added extra intrigue because fans would get to see No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers make her WNBA debut with the Dallas Wings, as they faced off against the 2024 runner-up Minnesota Lynx.

Ultimately, while the Wings kept up with Minnesota for about three quarters, the Lynx eventually pulled away and won the game 99-84. Bueckers finished the contest with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists in 30 minutes played.

Bueckers spoke with the media after the loss, and got honest about her reaction to her first WNBA regular season contest.

"I should have made the first one," Bueckers said, which is a reference to her missing her first shot of the game (she grabbed the rebound and made the put-back), per an X post from Joey Mistretta.

That didn’t take long 😮‍💨 Paige Bueckers’ first WNBA bucket is in the books!

WNBA Tip-Off presented by @CarMax | ION pic.twitter.com/kZieYTWi4Y
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 16, 2025

"Room to grow. You got to have a starting point. You got to have a foundation to build on. So we don't want to overreact to the loss, but we also know there's a lot of things you have to clean up and get better at," she added.

"So just starting it off, starting this journey, and continuing to build on it the next day we practice."

Paige Bueckers, who made her first basket after catching her own rebound and scoring, said she should have made the first shot.#WingsUp pic.twitter.com/m0RffdOi4Z
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) May 17, 2025

Bueckers and the Wings play the Seattle Storm on May 19, then will face the Lynx again on the road on May 21.

Recommended Reading: