Why is Hopkins City Council renaming city to honor Paige Bueckers?

Modified Apr 20, 2025 04:31 GMT

Paige Bueckers is less than a month away from making her WNBA debut. When that day arrives, a community that's near and dear to her heart will pay tribute to her first-ever regular season pro game.

On Friday, Minnesota news outlet Fox 9 reported that Hopkins, Bueckers' hometown where she used to play high school ball, would be making a special gesture to honor the Dallas Wings rookie:

"The City of Hopkins announced a proclamation to honor the accomplishments of Paige Bueckers by naming the city after her for a day next month," Fox 9 tweeted.

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According to the Fox 9 report, Hopkins would be called Paige Bueckers for the entirety of May 16, which is when the Wings open their season against last year's runner-up Minnesota Lynx. In honor of Bueckers' hoops legacy in Hopkins, business establishments in the city will air the Wings the game along with "themed specials."

Not too long ago, Bueckers made a name for himself as a standout at Hopkins High School, where she played five years of varsity basketball. In her senior year, Bueckers averaged 21.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 5.2 steals.

During Bueckers' stint at Hopkins High School, she won accolades such as 2019-20 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year and 2020 Naismith Prep Player of the Year. Her individual brilliance would translate into team glory as her team went 30-0 in her final year.

Bueckers' accomplishments at Hopkins led to her designation as the no. 1 ranked recruit of the 2020 class. After a productive career at UConn that ended in a national title win, Bueckers is now gearing up to lead the Wings to a better win-loss record in her rookie year.

Paige Bueckers on warm reception of Dallas fans: "I felt so much love already"

On Wednesday, Bueckers made a guest appearance on "Good Morning America," where she was asked about the warm reception of Dallas fans. The Wings rookie acknowledged the adulation displayed by her new WNBA home:

"I felt so much love already, and I haven't even stepped foot in Dallas," Bueckers said. "Extremely excited for it." [Timestamp - 3:59]

By all indications, Bueckers will be a must-see attraction when the WNBA season tips off next month.

About the author

Simoun Victor Redoblado is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over 12 years of experience writing for publications such as Collider, ALL-STAR Magazine, and Sir Charles in Charge.

Simoun has a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education, Major in English and Minor in journalism. Thanks to the journalism courses that he took, Simoun understood the fundamentals of journalistic storytelling in the context of sports writing.

Passionate for the UP Fighting Maroons, Simoun is a fan of the NBA, PBA, UAAP, and FIBA.
His childhood team was the Chicago Bulls and Simoun was a longtime supporter of the Houston Rockets because his friends would say he looked like Yao Ming.

Simoun loves the systematic, tactical movement of the ball and the players, the stories behind each individual competing on the hardcourt and most of all, how basketball is a sport for life and all its struggles and lessons.

A father of two, Simoun spends his free time with his kids.

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