Wings star Paige Bueckers fought back tears after Dallas crashed out of the WNBA playoffs in heartbreaking fashion.
The Wings threw away a 16-point lead before losing to the Golden State Valkyries in Friday night’s wild deciding game.
Gabby Williams scored 19 points and hit a go-ahead 17-footer with 1:17 remaining before the Valkyries won a late replay review to seal victory.
Bueckers, the No 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, amassed 17 points with six assists but was unable to lead Dallas into the semifinals.
And after the game, Bueckers sat through a press conference, where cameras caught the 24-year-old overcome with emotion.
At one point, Arike Ogunbowale put a hand on her teammate’s shoulder before Bueckers buried her face in a towel.
Wings star Paige Bueckers fought back tears after Dallas crashed out of the WNBA playoffs
The Wings threw away a 16-point lead before losing to the Golden State Valkyries on Friday
She could be seen wiping her eyes and resting her head on the table as she struggled to digest the loss.
With 13.1 seconds left and Golden State leading by one, Williams jumped back inbounds to corral her own miss on a play that was originally ruled Dallas’ ball.
But Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase – who moments earlier had fallen to her knees on the sideline before being helped up – successfully challenged the call.
Nakase walked off the court escorted by a member of her staff after the final buzzer, holding her face as the team celebrated at midcourt.
Golden State now heads into a best-of-five semifinal series against the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
