With WNBA MVP conversations getting underway, Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers has entered the chat.
Reigning MVP A'ja Wilson is an automatic centerpiece in the conversation, Caitlin Clark will always come up for the popular vote, and rookie Olivia Miles has certainly made a case beyond being the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year.
But for Bueckers, who reached 1,000 points during Monday's thrilling 112-110 overtime win in Seattle, it's hard not to consider her since it's taken her less than a year to help turn a franchise around while instilling confidence in the entire team.
"She's one of our captains here, she always takes us there every game," second-year guard Aziaha James said after Monday's win. "Like you saw last game (against Chicago), she's always ready. So that's what (we) look up to. She pushes tempo every time, so that's what we've got to follow."
Paige Bueckers stepped up late in the game to help the @DallasWings secure the overtime victory against Seattle 🤗
She scored 17 PTS in the 4Q + overtime to finish the night with 27 PTS, 5 AST, 5 REB & 3 3PM!#WNBASeason30 pic.twitter.com/F1BcW0RzFT
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 23, 2026
Bueckers, who is +650 to win the award at FanDuel, is one of three players in the league who rank in the top 10 in both scoring and assists per game, along with Clark and Kelsey Plum.
Bueckers Makes History!
The 24-year-old guard, who is the fourth-fastest in WNBA history to reach 1,000 points, became the fastest player in league history to reach 1,000 points and 250 assists.
The Minnesota native, who has scored 20 or more points in eight of 16 games, is currently averaging 19.3 points per game and is hitting an eye-popping 50.2 percent from the floor, including 40.3 percent from 3-point range.
It's a vast improvement from the 2025 version of herself, when she was averaging 18.1 points on .447 shooting, including .327 from beyond the arc, by the time she played in her 16th game, and the Wings were 6-15 while seemingly lost under then-coach Chris Koclanes.
Beyond Bueckers
Mature far beyond her years, Bueckers said recently, she learned to apply herself in areas the team needs her, regardless of whether or not her shot is falling.
"I mean, try to affect the game in other ways," she said. "Try to be better defensively, maybe rebound more, get my teammates open a little bit more, and just have positive self-talk.
"We work so hard in this sport, and sometimes it's not your night shooting the ball. But, until the buzzer sounds, things can always change."
It's also helped to have the supporting cast she has, with veterans Arike Ogunbowale, Jessica Shepard, Odyssey Sims, and Alysha Clark on board, plus talented youth like James and rookie Azzi Fudd.
Week 6. Dominated. 💪
Jessica Shepard earns her second Western Conference Player of the Week honor after putting up 16.7 PPG, 11.0 RPG, and 5.3 APG for the @DallasWings.#WNBASeason30 pic.twitter.com/Cr1lu4TMJm
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 23, 2026
On Tuesday, Shepard became just the second player in Wings history to earn WNBA Player of the Week honors twice in a single season after averaging 16.7 PPG, 11.0 RPG, and 5.3 APG.
As a whole, it's the collective effort why a Wings team that won just 10 games last year, is already 11-6 this season and in the hunt for a top-four landing spot in the overall standings.
During the last two games, it was Bueckers' overall game with several big shots that certainly benefited the Wings.
Saturday, it was a 25-foot 3-pointer that also drew a foul, to which she converted the four-point play to bring the Wings within one of the Chicago Sky with 31 seconds left. Dallas overcame a 14-point deficit to win, 93-92.
Monday, she scored 17 of the Wings' final 24 points, including seven of their 16 in overtime, to beat the Storm.
"That's why she is who she is," Dallas coach Jose Fernandez said.
Bueckers is a sure-shot MVP candidate as we approach the midway point of the 2026 campaign.
W.G. Ramirez is a veteran sports writer from Las Vegas and a Senior Staff Writer at Ballislife.com. Follow him on X at @WillieGRamirez.
Monday's game, which was barely mentioned, it WHY she's the MVP. All due respect to A'Ja, PB doesn't have Gray, Loyd, Young, Carter and co. She has a much better cast than last year, but her three best "support" are an 8 yr vet who notorious for bas shots and poor shooting % (and no D), a rookie, and a 5 yr vet with a career 7pt/gm scoring avg. Monday showed what a star looks like. She scored 8 early to give Dallas a double digit lead and then facilitated (5 assists) and played solid D. Seattle was making everything they threw up (~50% on 29 3 ptrs) so they ended up leading by 8 with 2 m left. PB made a key D stop and Dallas cut it to 6. Paige then made another stop and promptly made a 3 ptr to cut it 3. Next trip down she hit another 3 to tie! with 30 seconds left. Seatlle scored to go up by 2 and Paige made a beautiful spinning fade away J in the lane to tie with seconds left to force OT. She then traded baskets with Seattle, scoring 4 more times including another 3 (9 points), every one of which tied or took the lead. Not one FT, not one easy shot, and she was 7-9 for 17 pts ( and an assist and a steal) in the last minute (ish) of regulation and OT. It was one of the greatest clutch performances in W history and they needed every one of those points to win, which they did. That is MVP stuf