Paige Bueckers is just about gearing through her WNBA career, but the Dallas Wings guard is already in the spotlight. After being drafted first overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Bueckers has delivered as advertised, putting up strong numbers and stepping into a key role for Dallas. Now, her rising profile has caught the eye of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who reacted publicly to her recent comments about her sneakers.
Steph Curry Could Make Paige Bueckers the First WNBA Athlete to Sign With His Brand
Curry’s comment might not have been just playful banter. Since launching Curry Brand under Under Armour in 2020, the NBA champion has signed multiple high-profile athletes, including De’Aaron Fox and Keisei Tominaga. But he has yet to add a WNBA name to his roster.
Bueckers, meanwhile, has a longstanding relationship with Nike. She signed an NIL deal with them while at UConn, becoming the first college athlete to design and launch a Nike Player Edition basketball shoe, the G.T. Hustle 3. The sneaker debuted in 2024 and featured her signature baby blue colorway and a logo that nodded to her nickname, “Paige Buckets.”
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Despite that relationship, Bueckers has not been offered a signature sneaker. That gap could be a window for Curry. Offering Bueckers her own line would be a significant step, and a potential tipping point if she ever considered switching brands.
Fudd, who is already a Curry Brand athlete, may also play a role. If Bueckers follows the same path, she would be the first WNBA player to join the brand. For now, though, she remains loyal to Nike, and there’s no indication that a switch is imminent.
Paige Bueckers’ Impressive Rookie Season And Historic Rivalry With Caitlin Clark
Bueckers has justified her status as the No. 1 pick. Through her first 15 games with Dallas, she is averaging 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. Alongside Caitlin Clark, Bueckers is the only player in WNBA history to average at least 15 points and five assists in their first 15 games.
She has delivered multiple standout performances, including a 35-point game against the Phoenix Mercury. More importantly, her play is translating to wins for Dallas after a rocky start to the season. The Wings are sitting with a 6-15 record and are looking to climb the standings as the season continues.
Caitlin Clark may be the face of the WNBA, but Paige Bueckers is hot on her (pony) tail.
Clark brought the league to new heights her rookie season, but many of the eye-popping stats she set are already being surpassed by this year’s rookie phenom Bueckers.
Last year, Clark… pic.twitter.com/k76937eDmL
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 10, 2025
The ongoing rivalry between Bueckers and Clark remains one of the league’s biggest storylines. The two were the last two No. 1 overall picks, and each meeting draws national attention. Their next matchup is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on ABC, when Dallas faces the Indiana Fever. As Sabreena Merchant wrote for The Athletic, “With any luck, this is the first time Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark will face off as WNBA players.”
When asked about expectations and comparisons to Clark, Bueckers kept it blunt: “No expectations,” Bueckers said. “I feel like that comes from an outside source so just building with the team here. Trying to get better every single day like I talk about every single time. Don’t worry about expectations… Expectations are a narrative that the media tries to create. Not letting outside sources in is really the expectation.”
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