The Dallas Wings are officially set to begin the 2025 preseason tonight, starring number one overall pick Paige Bueckers, who will face off against the Las Vegas Aces.
Dallas selected Bueckers with the first overall selection in the 2025 WNBA Draft, and many expected her to immediately step in and become one of the most impactful players in the league.
Bueckers said the conversations between her and the Wings before the draft were “brief” since it was a foregone conclusion that she would be selected with the top pick, adding that she told officials that she is “coming in and wanting to give everything.”
“Dallas is a sports city, so I’m super excited for the support, the new wave of being there, being in a new city, being with a new team and conquering those challenges as a group. We’ve got great pieces, a great ownership, great GMs, great coaches. The entire organization from up to down, I’m extremely excited for it,” she said, per ESPN.
Bueckers will join many of the pieces needed to compete at a high level, with Dallas already boasting All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale and forward NaLyssa Smith.
Ogunbowale is coming off a season in which she averaged an impressive 22.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game while leading the WNBA with an average of 2.1 steals.
Meanwhile, Smith will join the Wings for the first time this season after being traded in the offseason. She previously spent the first three seasons of her career as a member of the Indiana Fever.
Although Smith struggled at times last season, she still finished the year averaging 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Dallas will open the preseason tonight and host one more preseason matchup against Japan’s Toyota Antelopes on Saturday, May 10, at 7 p.m.
The Wings will then officially open the regular season with a matchup against the Minnesota Lynx on Friday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m.