For just the second time in history, Dallas received the No. 1 picks in both the WNBA and NBA drafts. With the picks, the Wings selected Paige Bueckers and the Mavericks drafted Cooper Flagg.
Being a couple months into her WNBA career, Bueckers showed up to the Mavericks' draft party for Flagg on Wednesday night to show her support for her fellow rookie. When speaking with some media members, Bueckers addressed the high expectations No. 1 picks have on them, explaining that her and Flagg tend to have a similar mindset about how to handle that pressure.
"I’m not really new to expectations, honestly, but they exist," Bueckers said, via Clutch Points. "I know Cooper thinks a lot the same, we have expectations for ourselves and the standards we set for ourselves. ... Do what has gotten you there, stick to that."
"I’m not really new to expectations, honestly, but they exist... I know Cooper (Flagg) thinks a lot the same, we have expectations for ourselves and the standards we set for ourselves."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 26, 2025
Dallas Wings Star Paige Bueckers sounds off on expectations as a #1 draft pick 🗣️
(via… pic.twitter.com/ZyzgAvUQgs
Flagg won't begin his rookie season until Bueckers's first season is over, as the NBA season starts in late October shortly after the WNBA season concludes.
Don't be surprised if these two superstars show up for each other's games in the next year. Maybe a friendship will blossom like the one between Caitlin Clark and Tyrese Haliburton in Indianapolis.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paige Bueckers Talks About Expectations Put on Her and Cooper Flagg Being No. 1 Picks.