Celebrities came out in full force for the recent showdown between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever at American Airlines Center, with notable names like Cooper Flagg, Micah Parsons, Cade Cunningham, and Kyrie Irving in attendance. Irving and Flagg officially met for the first time, while Paige Bueckers also had the chance to meet Irving, her favorite player and someone she has long tried to emulate in her game.
Advertisement
Any time NBA stars come out to support their city’s WNBA squad is a big win for basketball, but this meeting between two of the game’s stars was particularly special. Bueckers said in May that she hoped the nine-time All-Star would attend one of her games. That wish came true, crossing off another item on what Sports Illustrated host Mariah Clifton coined Bueckers’ “rookie season bucket list.”
Kyrie has always been an avid supporter of the women’s game and has even passed that passion on to his daughter, Azurie, who was also in attendance for the highly anticipated matchup. The 33-year-old and his daughter not only attended the game; they were there specifically to cheer Bueckers on.
Following the Fever’s 94-86 victory, Irving was able to meet with Bueckers face-to-face for a heartwarming interaction. “He signed her jersey. He showed up with his daughter. He was literally on the edge of his seat watching the game the whole time,” Clifton said while naming Kyrie the “Biggest WNBA Fan of the Week.”
LA Sparks guard Rae Burrell heaped praise on Irving, who has long proved his status as a basketball icon, for continuing to support the sport. “I think that’s super dope. Especially with Kyrie and the NBA, like a lot of us looked up to those types of players when we were growing up,” Burrell said.
“So, you know, just to have one of your idols come to the game and support and also bring [his] daughter on top of that to show her the empowered women that play this sport,” the Sparks star began, “I think that’s super amazing, super dope that he was able to do that. And I hope he makes it to a few more.”
Dallas has become Irving’s home in recent years, so the NBA champion might be seen at plenty more Wings games. Seeing future Hall of Famers attend their matchups should only inspire the W’s talents even more as the league continues to grow.
The city may have just lost Luka Doncic, but now, both the Mavericks and Wings boast talents with superstar potential in Flagg and Bueckers. Dallas hasn’t held a basketball championship since Dirk led the Mavs to glory in 2011, but the city’s outlook is far brighter now than it was just a few months ago.
