Last year’s top pick, Iowa phenom Caitlin Clark, finished with 20 points, three assists and two steals in her debut with the Indiana Fever, a 92-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun. But she shot 33.3% from the field and had 10 turnovers.

The occasion is being marked in her hometown of Hopkins, Minnesota, with a temporary renaming of the city in honor of her WNBA debut and a local brewery's offering of “Paige’s 3-Point Pale” ale. Streets were to be called “Bueckers Boulevard.”

WNBA season gets underway, all eyes are on Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers—and with good reason. Bueckers, a former UConn powerhouse and first overall selection in the 2025 WNBA Draft, is already considered a "franchise foundational player" by executives.