How Dallas Wings fans welcomed Paige Bueckers for her regular season debut
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Fans packed College Park Center on Friday to watch Bueckers' buckets. Photo: Gregory "Bucket Watch" Castillo/Axios
The Dallas Wings lost their season opener against the Minnesota Lynx 99-84 on Friday — but the crowd didn't seem to mind the loss.
Why it matters: It was college basketball superstar Paige Bueckers' first regular season game in the NBA, against a team she grew up watching as a Minnesota native.
State of play: Wings fans sold out UT Arlington's College Park Center on Friday, wearing No. 5 Bueckers jerseys and cheering every time she got the ball.
- Bueckers didn't play as well as many had hoped. She only scored 10 points in 30 minutes of playing time, but she did lead the team with seven rebounds.
- Wings veteran Arike Ogunbowale scored 16 points and had four assists.
- Meanwhile, the Lynx's Napheesa Collier scored 34 points, and Courtney Williams scored 25 points.
The intrigue: Basketball coach Nancy Lieberman, Philadelphia 76ers point guard Tyrese Maxey, gymnast Skye Blakely and Bueckers' UConn teammate KK Arnold were all at the game.
- Bueckers' father, Bob, sat courtside and cried as he watched his daughter warm up for the game.
- "I'm very proud of her. ... She's living out her childhood dream right now, and to have her first game playing her hometown of the Lynx, who she grew up idolizing, is surreal," Bob Bueckers told ESPN, dressed from head to toe in Wings gear.
Reality check: Bueckers is still a rookie in the WNBA and may need more time to adjust to her new team.
What's next: The Wings host the Seattle Storm at 7pm Monday. The game will be shown on NBA TV and KFAA.