Seven years ago, Paige Bueckers was practically begging for Klay Thompson’s magic. The Warriors were down 3-2 against the Raptors in the finals when Bueckers wrote, “I need the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals vs OKC, Steph and Klay rn.” She mistakenly called it the Eastern Conference Finals, but everyone knew what she meant: the iconic Warriors-Thunder battle. Unfortunately, her wish did not come true, as the Raptors won the 2019 championship. But now, Bueckers is on the other side of the story.

It’s Klay Thompson buying courtside seats to watch Bueckers, and the Dallas Wings point guard is hitting tough shots. Here’s the thing: Thompson made his way to the stands as the Dallas Wings faced off against the Chicago Sky at the  College Park Center. The Wings were down 28-21 in the second quarter when Bueckers was matched up against Gabriela Jaquez near the baseline. Bueckers tried a turnaround jumper when Jacquez closed in and made contact. While the Dallas player fell, she heaved up the shot regardless. And it went in!

Klay Thompson watched that play with a grin, acknowledging the brilliance of his longtime friend. 

On wonder, WNBA on X wrote: “That post work for the guard is easy. PB5 is goin’ to WORK, and Klay is loving every second of it!”

The NBA noticed as well, writing, “Tough bucket from Paige Bueckers. 💪 Klay is loving it as Paige fights through the contact and hits the fadeaway layup!”

Bueckers, who fell to the floor, just sat there and looked at the rookie, subtly signaling that there was nothing she could do to guard her. And Thompson was elated to see this.

Bueckers and Thompson have long been connected through their common agent. They sat courtside at a Liberty-Las Vegas game back in 2024 when Bueckers was still at UConn. Thompson also inspired Bueckers when she was going through a difficult time, recovering from her ACL injuries. 

“A lot of my teammates have gone through ACL injuries, have gone through major injuries I watched in the WNBA, the NBA and in the NFL, people coming back from ACL injuries,” Bueckers said back in 2025. “Klay Thompson came back from two major injuries and won an NBA championship.”

Bueckers could be on her way to a WNBA title as well. It’s still very early, but the Chicago Sky game made it clear that this team has the mettle to compete at the very top. They trailed for almost the entire game. But in the final minutes, Paige Bueckers stepped on the gas.

She had 10 points in the fourth quarter, including a clutch three-pointer while being fouled with 30 seconds to go to bring Dallas within one point of the Sky. For context, Bueckers had only 9 points in the first three quarters, finishing with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists. 

As Li Yueru won them the game with two free throws, the Wings stole a 93-92 win. It goes without saying that Bueckers was happy, though she criticized her own performance.

“Everybody held it down. I was terrible for the first 38 minutes, and we just stuck together,” Bueckers said in her sideline postgame interview. “Everybody stepped up in different ways at different times that we just never quit.”

In the end, a win is a win, and Dallas fought hard for this one.