In what was supposed to be one of the most highly anticipated games of the season, with two former first-overall picks, Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark, expected to face off, an injury to the latter put a damper on the excitement for the evening.
Midway through the second quarter, as the Indiana Fever were building a sizeable lead over the Dallas Wings, it was an interaction between Bueckers and a potential Hall of Famer in Kyrie Irving that went viral on social media almost immediately.
Paige Bueckers Meets Dallas Co-Star Kyrie Irving
After months of despondency within the Dallas area, thanks to the mind-numbing Luka Dončić trade that’s widely been described as one of the worst trades in NBA history, the city got to breathe a sigh of relief when its WNBA franchise, the Wings, won the WNBA lottery.
With the consensus first overall pick joining the team, things were finally looking up for the fan base. While her arrival is yet to translate to wins, as is typical for a rookie, her numbers have been extremely impressive.
Before the game against the Fever, Bueckers was averaging 17.7 points and 5.8 assists on an efficient 45.7% from the field. Against Indiana, though, she was exceptional, putting up 27 points and six assists, while shooting 50% from the field and nailing two of her three 3-pointers.
However, it was with a little over four minutes left in the second quarter that Bueckers went viral for a moment off the court. After a turnover in Indiana, Bueckers went to collect the ball beyond the baseline. At that moment, she spotted Dallas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving sitting in the crowd, taking in the action. As one of the most revolutionary basketball players, especially for his handle, Bueckers immediately went to shake his hand.
paige saying hi to kyrie mid game😭 pic.twitter.com/XzmnNjWhBI
— ria✧˖° (@love_wbb) June 28, 2025
Fans caught the interaction and posted it on social media. Irving, on his part, is recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered in February. Realistically, it is expected to keep him out of action for nearly a year.
As a result, he was ready to sign a three-year contract extension with Dallas this offseason, worth $119 million. With Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and new number one overall pick, Cooper Flagg, on the roster, Irving and the Mavs have a chance to be championship contenders very quickly.
The game, unfortunately, did not go Dallas’ way. The Fever were able to hold on to their lead and dispatch the Wings 94-86 even without Clark suiting up.
