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The City of Hopkins in Minnesota will honor this year's top overall pick Paige Bueckers by renaming the city in her honor for one day in recognition of her basketball accomplishments.
The date of renaming is set for May 16, 2025, when the former UConn standout makes her WNBA debut with the Dallas Wings in a home game against the Minnesota Lynx. The motion to honor Bueckers was included in a city council report dated April 15, 2025.
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Before making a name for herself with the UConn Huskies, Paige Bueckers starred for Hopkins High School, where she established herself as an all-around player right from the onset.
She's widely considered as one of the best players in Minnesota girls' high school basketball history during her stay with the Royals.
Following her distinguished basketball run at Hopkins High School, she was a sought-after recruit, getting scholarship offers from a number of NCAA Division 1 basketball programs. She eventually chose UConn, where she continued her ascent.
With the Huskies, her star further shone, but injuries marked her campaign, including having to redshirt the 2022-23 season after tearing the ACL in her left knee.
In her final two years though, Paige Bueckers went full charge, capping her collegiate campaign by leading the Huskies to the 2025 NCAA national title. She finished her UConn career with averages of 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals in 123 games.
It's the same success she now looks to have with the Wings in the WNBA.
Paige Bueckers grateful to have finally landed in the WNBA
Paige Bueckers long envisioned to play in the WNBA and was just grateful to have finally made her way to the league. The 23-year-old Minnesota native was selected by the Dallas Wings as the top overall pick in the recently held WNBA Draft following a stellar collegiate career at UConn.
Speaking to reporters after her selection, Bueckers spoke about how it was a huge honor to now play in the league alongside and against the players she has followed in her basketball journey. She said:
"This is super surreal. Just so grateful to be here. I don't want to take this for granted. I've been focusing a lot about being present and being where my feet are, so to be at this stage, to be here ... it just means everything to me."
Check out what she had to say below, beginning at the 1:10 mark:
With the Wings, Paige Bueckers joins a team looking to bounce back after missing the playoffs for the first time in four years with a 9-31 record last season.
The team retooled in the offseason, acquiring the services of veteran players like NaLyssa Smith, DiJonai Carrington, Myisha Hines-Allen and Tyasha Harris to join holdovers, led by All-Star Arike Ogunbowale.
