By Jamal Baker
NDG Contributing Writer
The professional basketball scene in Dallas is filled with excitement as the Wings and Mavericks are two franchises with hopeful futures.
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers has been named an All-Star starter for the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game—earning the honor in her rookie season. She will be the first rookie to start the All-Star Game in Dallas Wings history.
The 23-year-old guard currently ranks 11th in the league in scoring (18.4 points) and sixth in assists (5.8)—leading all rookies in both categories.
The WNBA announced the full list of All-Star starters, with Bueckers joining fellow backcourt starter Caitlin Clark, who was named team captain after receiving a record-breaking 1,293,526 fan votes. 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier was also selected as a team captain in her fifth All-Star nod.
Bueckers received the sixth-most votes from fans and was second in voting for guards, behind only Clark.
Bueckers will be the sixth No. 1 pick to start in the All-Star Game as a rookie, joining Clark (2024), Aliyah Boston (2023), Maya Moore (2011), Sue Bird (2002) and Chamique Holdsclaw (1999).
Bueckers and Clark are joined in the backcourt by the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu, making her fourth All-Star appearance, and the Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray, a three-time All-Star who will be making her first career start in the game.
Perennial All-Stars like Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson, the Liberty’s Breanna Stewart, and Seattle Storm’s Nneka Ogwumike were also announced as starters.
Clark and Collier will draft their teams during “WNBA Countdown” on July 8 and the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game will be held July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Dallas Wings also announced Monday that their Aug.1 matchup against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will be played at American Airlines Center, setting the stage for a highly anticipated sequel to ‘A Night in Dallas.’
In front of a crowd of 20,409 at American Airlines Center, the Fever defeated the Wings 94-86 in their first matchup of the season June 27, despite Clark being sidelined with a left groin injury.
Notable athletes in attendance were nine-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks, superstar Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons and Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft by the Mavericks last month.
The game was originally scheduled to take place at the Wings’ home arena, the 7,000 seat College Park Center in Arlington.
Women’s basketball fans will now have another opportunity to see Paige Bueckers and Clark square off in Dallas as tickets go on sale July 11.
The first matchup between the WNBA’s two most recent No. 1 picks could come on July 13 if Clark is healthy, when Dallas travels to play Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Clark is arguably the league’s most popular player and has been since she stepped into the WNBA.
However, Bueckers is also emerging as a face of the league after receiving more All-Star votes than any other rookie in WNBA history with 805,471 votes.
Although Bueckers is having an impressive rookie campaign, averaging 18.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists, the Wings (6-13) have the worst record in the Western Conference and will look to turn their season around sooner rather than later.
On the NBA side of things, the Dallas Mavericks are bolstering their coaching staff for the 2025-26 season by bringing in NBA championship-winning coach Frank Vogel as their new lead assistant coach.
Life truly is full circle.
Dallas head coach Jason Kidd served as an assistant under Vogel on the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2019-20 championship team. Kidd recruited Vogel to join the Mavericks last season as adviser, and Vogel will now replace Sean Sweeney, who left for the San Antonio Spurs to become their associate head coach.
As a head coach, Vogel holds a career record of 480-422, with previous stops at the helm of the Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, and Phoenix Suns.
Vogel enters a situation in Dallas where he will get to work with a solid core ready to compete right away. The coaching staff will be tasked with developing No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg who projects as the new cornerstone of the Mavericks’ future.
Vogel, 52, is a defensive minded coach who emphasizes physicality and strong rim protection. With a roster that features Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, and Daniel Gafford, the Mavericks will have no shortage of rim protection.
Vogel will be stepping into his first assistant role since 2011, when he was a member of Jim O’Brien’s staff on the 2011-12 Pacers.
It will be interesting to see how defensive-minded coaches Vogel and Kidd utilize the Mavericks’ versatile group of defenders, including P.J. Washington, Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, and Max Christie.
With Vogel on board, the Mavericks are doubling down on defense as they look to take the next step toward championship contention.
