Paige Bueckers had jokes the moment the Dallas Wings landed the No. 1 pick again. When the lottery results came in, she hopped on Instagram and credited two people for the back-to-back blessing: Maddy Siegrist… and Pope Leo XIV.
“Shoutout Maddy and the Pope,” she wrote, keeping a straight face about none of it.
The gag comes from Siegrist’s recent meet-and-greet with the Pope. Villanova alums were invited to an audience, and she happened to be in the group that got to shake his hand. Siegrist admitted she couldn’t remember what she said during the moment, but Paige Bueckers decided that whatever it was must’ve been a lottery prayer. And why not? Dallas ended up with the top pick for the second year in a row.
Per ESPN, the Wings are now “the fourth franchise to have the first overall pick in consecutive seasons,” which only fueled the running joke. Fans and teammates have already started calling Siegrist “The Lottery Fairy.”
The timing couldn’t be better for a team trying to build around Bueckers. Dallas has made it clear they’re looking for the right piece to pair with last year’s top pick. Siegrist even said before the lottery that the Wings simply wanted “someone who wants to win.”
Most fans immediately jumped to Azzi Fudd — Paige Bueckers’ former UConn teammate and girlfriend — as the dream reunion. But the front office has options beyond the feel-good storyline. Curt Miller could go big with Lauren Betts, UCLA’s 6-foot-7 centerpiece, or swing for international versatility with Spain’s Awa Fam, a 6-foot-4 forward who fits today’s WNBA style.
Paige Bueckers leads a guard-heavy core heading into 2026
Only six players are under contract going into next season: Bueckers, Siegrist, Diamond Miller, Lou Lopez-Sénéchal, Aziah James, and JJ Quinerly. Outside of Siegrist, it’s basically an all-guard group, which puts even more weight on how Dallas handles free agency.
The problem? Free agency hasn’t actually started. Everything’s stuck until the league and players’ union work out the new CBA, leaving teams with needs but no signings.
That’s why the No. 1 pick matters so much. If Dallas can’t land an All-Star-level big once free agency opens, Miller may have no choice but to grab Betts or Fam. If they do? Then the door swings open for Fudd — and the reunion everyone keeps picturing becomes a real possibility.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
