The Dallas Wings’ 2025 season has been one to forget. With a 9-31 record and officially eliminated from playoff contention, fans have had little to cheer about in what has been a long and draining campaign.
Yet, amidst the turbulence, rookie sensation Paige Bueckers has emerged as a bright spot both on the court with her playmaking and off the court with her resilience. Recently, however, Bueckers made a troubling admission about her health, shedding light on the struggles she has faced while trying to lead her team through adversity.
Paige Bueckers’ Recent Struggle With Her Health
In an interview with the “Dallas Hoops Journal”, Bueckers opened up about why she was a last-minute scratch in the Wings’ August 27, 2025, matchup against the Connecticut Sun.
According to the 23-year-old guard, she felt the aftereffects of a medicine she had taken before the game, which had left her body drained and without strength. “Just congestion-wise, being able to breathe. I actually planned on playing against Connecticut, but I ended up taking an IV right before the game, and my body kind of rejected it.”
“That happened right before, so it was a late scratch. But honestly, I’m ready to go. As long as I can breathe and get up and down the floor, you’ll hear no excuses from me,” said Bueckers.
Her absence was sorely felt that night, as the Wings struggled to keep up with a dominant Sun squad. Connecticut was led by Leïla Lacan, who poured in 22 points and veteran Tina Charles who added 18.
Leïla Lacan balled out in the @ConnecticutSun‘s win over the Wings 101-95 👏
22 PTS | 6 AST | 4 STL | 3 REB
She tied her career-high in PTS and helped the Sun achieve a new season-high in PTS!#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/DJ6yOYNSz9
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 28, 2025
Despite a late push, Dallas could not overcome the deficit and fell 101-95. Without Bueckers’ scoring and playmaking presence, the Wings lacked the spark to finish the game strong.
Thankfully for Dallas, Bueckers’ setback was short-lived.
She returned just two days later, on August 29, in a clash against the Atlanta Dream, where she put up an impressive double-double with 16 points and 10 assists. Unfortunately, her effort wasn’t enough to save the Wings from another tough defeat.
Dallas started strong as they held a two-point lead at the end of the first half, but momentum shifted quickly before halftime as the Dream seized control with a nine-point lead. By the fourth quarter, Atlanta had stretched its advantage to as much as 22 points and cruised to a (100-78) victory.
🔥 THE ATLANTA DREAM HAVE DONE IT 🔥
The @atlantadream defeated the Dallas Wings, thus clinching a spot in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs presented by @google!#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/9UjTZ0380u
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 30, 2025
Still Bueckers remains determined to finish her rookie season on a strong note.
“Just to stick with it. Whoever puts on a Wings jersey that night, that’s who we believe in. We don’t need exterior belief. We believe in each other. I remember Steph Curry, before the Warriors became the Warriors, tweeted, ‘Just stick with us.’ That’s the message,” said Bueckers during the postgame interview, as per Grant Afseth.
The Wings now have four games left to close out their season, starting with a matchup against the Minnesota Lynx on September 1, 2025, at the Target Center.
