Records were tied, history was made, and Paige Bueckers once again found herself at the center of it all. But despite helping the Dallas Wings achieve a milestone start to the season, the young star’s attention after the game turned toward the player who helped shape her basketball mindset, Kobe Bryant.

It appears that Crypto.com Arena brings something special out of Bueckers. Last August, she dropped a 44-point performance in that building. Now, following another brilliant outing at what many reverently call “The House that Kobe Built,” a reporter at the postgame press conference asked her what it is about Los Angeles that seems to bring out the best in her. In the video shared by Lojo Media on X, Bueckers took the moment to pay tribute to the NBA legend.

Her exact words were: “LA and this arena specifically has so much history in it. It’s a legendary building, and it’s just an honor to play here. I dreamed and grew up watching games here. I was a big Kobe fan, so I just really enjoy it and try to soak in just that I’m living out my dream.” And perhaps the best part of that feeling was leaving with a victory. As she added, “To be able to come here and win with the team that we have… is special. So I’m very grateful to be a part of this.”

Long before she became one of basketball’s brightest young stars, Paige Bueckers was just another kid watching Kobe Bryant play with her dad. “I would definitely say his work ethic [inspired me],” Bueckers said in an interview with CBS while she was still at Hopkins High School. “Just the stuff he did for the game. He cared about the game a lot.” 

While the two never got the chance to meet in person, Bryant was actually scheduled to work out with Bueckers before his tragic passing. The pair had recently exchanged messages on social media about getting together that summer as Paige prepared to begin her UConn journey. 

“He followed me on Instagram and I freaked out,” Bueckers said in the same CBS interview. “He’s worked out with some of my USA teammates and he’s just a huge supporter of the women’s game.”

Since then, Paige has never missed an opportunity to honor Kobe and Gigi Bryant. One of the most emotional examples came in 2021 after she won the ESPY Award for Best College Athlete in Women’s Sports. Bueckers used her moment in the spotlight to honor Gigi, whose dream had always been to play for UConn one day. But that wasn’t the only one!

When Paige finally completed her fairytale ending at UConn by leading the Huskies to a national championship, one of the first things she did amid the celebrations was speak about Gigi Bryant. According to Bueckers, she had felt Gigi’s presence throughout the week.

“There were a lot of little things this week, things that made me feel her presence.” Wondering what those “little things” were?

One of the signs that stood out most to Bueckers came when her mother was assigned Room 824 during their stay. 8 and 24 were the two jersey numbers Kobe Bryant famously wore throughout his legendary career. “Kobe’s watching over us. Gigi’s watching over us,” Bueckers had said, as per Sports Illustrated.

Paige is often seen wearing Nike Kobe sneakers on the court, especially the Kobe 5s and Kobe 8s, as a tribute to the player she grew up idolizing. She has embraced the Mamba Mentality throughout her career, and her recent performance against the Los Angeles Sparks was another reminder of exactly that.

The Wings came away with a 104-96 victory over the Sparks, with Paige Bueckers delivering 18 points and a career-high 14 assists. With that win, the Dallas Wings now sit at an impressive 7-3 record on the season. This marks the best 10-game start for the franchise since it relocated from Tulsa to Dallas for the 2016 season.

With her performance, Paige Bueckers also added some statistics that place her in a very exclusive category. She is now the only player this season to rank inside the top 10 in points, assists, and three-pointers made. But beyond her, it was also a productive night for several of her teammates who contributed to the Wings’ victory as well. Jessica Shepard delivered 22 points and 15 rebounds. Maddy Siegrist scored 16 points. And veteran forward Arike Ogunbowale finished the game with 30 points, six rebounds, and six assists.

The Dallas Wings now sit in second place in the league standings, and their next matchup could not be more compelling. They face the first-place Minnesota Lynx, a team that, like Dallas, has won six of its last seven games. It pits two of the hottest teams in the league against each other and is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated matchups of the young season.

Paige Bueckers Explains Real Reason Behind Her Viral Stares

Paige Bueckers has been seen at games just staring into the distance on multiple occasions. It has, in fact, become a viral running joke among her teammates and fans. And as it appears, she did it again during the Dallas Wings’ most recent game against the Los Angeles Sparks.

In the postgame press conference, a reporter actually asked Paige the reasons behind those stares. And she took the time to explain it, offering a rather interesting insight into what is going through her mind in those moments. As she said, “I disassociate a lot. But I’m always going to a good place. It’s like a place of locked-inness.” 

Sometimes that locked-in state might also involve something a bit more personal. As she said, “Sometimes like just hitting a prayer mid game. Just thanking God for just the environment, for where we are, for being out there with the team and just being appreciative of the moment.”

Paige also revealed that part of those moments is simply her trying to stay mentally ahead of everything happening on the court. She said while it may look like she’s zoning out, she’s actually processing the game. And she’s preparing for what comes next “And then also to like thinking of the game. Like I think I try to think so far ahead and play and just be mentally there. So when you see me like just staring in space, I’m really still locked in.”

Paige did also point out that she found the question somewhat amusing because nobody had actually asked her about it before. As she put it, “I’ve actually never been asked that before. Everybody just records me when I’m staring.” Well, Paige Bueckers has finally revealed what those stares mean. And judging by her own words, opponents might want to be wary whenever they see her gazing into the distance, because that’s when she’s fully in her state of “locked-iness”.