Paige Bueckers is in a league of her own in their 104-96 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday after creating history for herself and the Dallas Wings.
Looking to impress in her second season in the WNBA, Bueckers continued to do the job she was tasked to do when she was drafted first overall last year. She dished out 14 assists during their win against the Sparks, tying the record set by Arike Ogunbowale for the Wings’ single-game record assists.
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With her performance, she also matched the highest assist total by any WNBA player this season, earning the much-needed praise across the entire league. Even her fellow Wings star Ogunbowale couldn’t help but give Paige a glowing review.
May 12, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) looks on during the game between the Wings and the Dream at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
“We actually had a lot of missed layups,” Ogunbowale had said, according to Dallas Morning News reporter Myah Taylor. When asked about the record in the post-game interview, she said, “I think that’s dope. Obviously, Paige is 1 of 1.”
With Ogunbowale admitting their team’s mishaps in a game where Bueckers created history, it only shows that she could’ve gotten more, and could’ve possibly broken the same record Arike set in the past had they converted her passes and made their shots.
Still, the Wings managed to shoot 53% from the field and got the job done against the Sparks.
“It was all planned to be able to share with Arike”: Paige Bueckers grateful to have shared record with Dallas Wings teammate
It may have been an achievement that could set her career for many years to come, but Paige Bueckers believes she was meant to share the pedestal with the Dallas Wings’ other playmaker, Arike Ogunbowale.
Following her historic night, Bueckers spoke to the press and told them how grateful she was to her teammates and how she felt about sharing the moment with Ogunbowale.
“It was funny in the locker room, I was going the whole entire line of teammates letting them know they smoked one for me,” Bueckers said as per Dallas Hoops Journal. “I think it was all planned to be able to share with Arike. My teammates just did a really good job of getting people open, screening, cutting, and moving without the ball, and just making the game easy for me.”
The icing on top of the cake was Bueckers’ 18 points against the Sparks, which gave her her first double-double of the season while putting up an impressive 51.9% assist percentage, helping the Wings to their fourth straight win and improving to a 7-3 record, the franchise’s best 10-game start since relocating from Tulsa in 2016.
