Paige. Azzi. Arike. The Wings are betting this trio can change everything
Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Arike Ogunbowale may form a Dallas Wings core that finally vaults the franchise back to contention in the WNBA.
ARLINGTON, TX — Two days before the Dallas Wings tipped off the 2026 WNBA season , Paige Bueckers had her competitive dial turned all the way up. The Wings were shooting 3-pointers in two groups at the end of practice. Players in each group were supposed to be counting their collective streak of shots made, but Bueckers turned the group challenge into an individual contest.
When Dallas center Li Yueru missed a shot and collapsed on the court in exaggerated dejection, Bueckers stuck out her tongue, hooked her thumbs inside her Wings practice jersey and skipped backward in celebration. Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 pick in April’s WNBA draft who is Bueckers’ former UConn teammate , glanced over from where she was shooting on the opposite basket.
Accustomed to Bueckers’ antics, Fudd smiled and returned to her own shooting line. On the sideline, the Wings’ brain trust — CEO and managing partner Greg Bibb, general manager Curt Miller and first-year head coach Jose Fernandez — laughed together. Spirits in the gym were high, equaling the optimism the Wings might be on track to contend following years of instability.
The start of a new season means a clean slate. “It’s kind of ‘first day of school’ feeling,” Bibb said. The Wings needed a reset after they tied for the league’s worst record last season.
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