When Paige Bueckers was handed a Dallas Wings jersey at the 2025 WNBA Draft, she looked ecstatic. But spectators weren’t just admiring happiness—they were speculating. “Sources around the league indicated that the Los Angeles Sparks… would have been Bueckers’ preferred option,” a flashback popped up. Then there was also the matter of her favorite team as a kid and dodging any direct questions about the Wings.  The UConn standout probably did not want to jump ship before the No.1 was officially announced. But expect fans to read between the lines. However, when the time came again, Bueckers ensured to make it known that once she had pledged her loyalty, there was no wavering.

Just days before her WNBA debut, the Dallas Wings star posed for a photo. Since it is going to be her first regular season game, a little show-off moment with her new team felt necessary, right? But to everyone’s surprise, it wasn’t a Wings jersey she sported—it was a Minnesota Lynx one.

“Definitely full circle… I was their biggest fan,” she expressed. As expected, within minutes, the nostalgic image sent social media into a frenzy, perfectly setting the stage for what’s now being dubbed ‘The Debut for the Ages.’ Nostalgic because that jersey carries an emotional bond with the rookie sensation—one that dates back to her childhood.

It started when she was a young girl sitting in the stands, mesmerized by the Lynx dynasty in her hometown of Edina, Minnesota. “I was just a little girl, aspiring to be in the league,” Bueckers told the CT Post in an interview. “The Minnesota Lynx dynasty was everything for me. To grow up watching Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, and the rest of that dynasty—and now to be able to share that experience and be part of this league—it’s surreal to say.”

Slowly and gradually, watching the games became dreaming the dream. Years have passed since then, and that little girl has grown into a hooping queen. But as fate would have it, her WNBA debut will be shared with the hometown team—just on the other bench.

However, don’t get it twisted. Dallas is her new home now, and the city is embracing her with open arms. After years of riding the Luka Dončić wave, the city may have just found its next superstar. She’s already generating buzz as the city’s newest favorite, and May 16th could be her official coronation.

So she may be the Dallas starlet now, but Paige isn’t letting go of her roots either. She will lace up against them for her debut game, but the love for Minnesota, it’s forever.

Minnesota Lynx finds a way to respond to the love Paige Bueckers has!

It wouldn’t be more fitting for the 2025 Draft No. 1 pick to play against the Lynx in her first regular season game. Hailing from Hopkins, which is just west of the Twin Cities where the Lynx actually compete, even her love for the team isn’t a secret anymore.

“I was their biggest fan,” Bueckers said on Tuesday, via Dallas Morning News’ Myah Taylor. “Now I’m a part of a different organization playing against them, so it’s very cool to experience. I don’t take it for granted. … It’ll be really cool and fun and sort of surreal.”

Obviously, it isn’t really one-sided. Even her home state of Minnesota has tons of love for Bueckers, especially her hometown of Hopkins. Despite the Wings facing the Lynx, Hopkins decided to rename their city to “Paige Bueckers” for the day and will celebrate the WNBA rookie all day.

Seems unreal, right? But considering the aura Bueckers is bringing to the table, it feels less surprising. Just consider—she’s coming off a national championship title, something that helped her become the top prospect in this year’s draft. So, it’s quite understandable that even the opposing team’s head coach is admiring her.

“Paige has been— I don’t know how many years ago, it was 2014 for me— that I saw her at the gym at Lifetime,” Reeve said, per an X post from Andrew Dukowitz. “Obviously, there have been a number of good Minnesota players, but for Paige, [she’s] the best since Lindsay Whalen.”

However, the head coach didn’t hesitate to issue a warning. “And we just want each time that she plays that she learns to hate the Lynx,” she added. No doubt, the Lynx will be so dominant against the Wings’ squad that the Minnesota native comes to dread her home games.

Notably, the Lynx are coming off their near-championship run in 2024 with their strength only tightening. Unlike many teams that underwent significant offseason changes, this team retained its core lineup. Key players such as Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams, Alanna Smith, Kayla McBride, and Bridget Carleton are returning. So, stability, on-court synergy, and Reeve’s warning coming true is something highly expected.