3 days ago
Paige Bueckers' Big Statement Surfaces Before Indiana Fever Game
Paige Bueckers' Big Statement Surfaces Before Indiana Fever Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings still remain at the bottom of the WNBA's Western Conference standings despite winning three of their last four games.
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On Friday, Bueckers and the Wings will look to make it two straight when they host the Indiana Fever. Caitlin Clark has notably been listed as out for Indiana's game on Thursday night, leaving her status for Friday up in the air.
Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft out of UConn, has become the clear favorite to win the Rookie of the Year Award. Through 12 games, she is averaging a team-high 17.7 points on 45.7% shooting, 4.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists.
But Bueckers' skills development coach Reid Ouse knows Bueckers is hungry for more.
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5)Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
In a recent interview with Myah Taylor of The Dallas Morning News, Ouse recalled a workout with Bueckers where she became frustrated while learning a new concept. He then shared a statement Bueckers made during that session, revealing one of her major basketball goals.
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'And you're in the gym pissed off,' Ouse said. 'What drives you? She looked down at the floor. She looked back up at the ceiling. Then she looked straight forward and looked me dead in the eyes and said, 'I want to be the greatest women's basketball player of all time.''
Ouse also credited Bueckers for not playing like Clark at UConn.
'If she needed to play more of a Caitlin Clark style … she could have done that at UConn," he added. "But she didn't need to. That just shows the type of player and person that she is.'
Bueckers and the Wings will take on the Fever on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, eyeing their fifth win of the season.
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Related: Brittney Griner's Wife Sends Two-Word Message to DeWanna Bonner After Leaving Fever
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
