Lisa Leslie Advises Paige Bueckers on Becoming a Better Dallas Wings Leader

The Dallas Wings have struggled immensely out of the gate in this 2025 season, as they have a 1-7 record heading into their June 6 game against the Los Angeles Sparks.

Some believed that the Wings would be able to find success this season, especially after they selected Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, added several players in the offseason like DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith, and secured a new head coach in Chris Koclanes.

And while Bueckers (who is missing Friday's contest due to being in concussion protocol) has played pretty well to this point — as she's averaging 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game — this hasn't translated into team success for Dallas.

Bueckers was the clear leader of the UConn Huskies team last season, which culminated with them winning an NCAA championship. And while Bueckers' Wings teammates have said that she's becoming a leader among their team, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie wants to see more of that leadership with Bueckers, which she made clear during a June 6 episode of her Between the Lines show.

After sharing an anecdote about Leslie's college coach having told her a freshman to lead by example rather than by speaking to her older teammates, Leslie said, "So I feel like with Paige Bueckers, she knows what championship status is. She has had a great coach in Geno Auriemma, and you don't have to wait a year, just because you're a rookie, to use your voice.

"I would say to Paige, 'Hey, show [her Wings teammates] by how you show up, how you shoot, how you stay after practice. But also show them based on what you know needs to happen,'" Leslie added.