Paige Bueckers Avoids WNBA Punishment After Wings-Dream Incident

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Paige Bueckers Avoids WNBA Punishment After Wings-Dream Incident

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated May 24, 2026 8:57 PM ET

The Dallas Wings lost to the Atlanta Dream on Friday, 86-69. Making matters worse, star guard Paige Bueckers received a shocking technical foul in the contest ... for clapping.

Bueckers, who finished with seven points, seven assists and two steals in the loss, was hit with the technical foul in the third quarter. It came after she clapped hard following a foul from Indya Nivar.

Several fans and viewers questioned the call, especially since it looked like a simple celebration that other athletes often do.

Fortunately for Bueckers, the WNBA decided to rescind the technical foul call, according to Annie Costabile of The Athletic.

Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts to a call during a WNBA game. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

"The tech Paige Bueckers was assessed in the third quarter of the Wings game against the Dream on Friday will be rescinded, multiple sources tell me," Costabile reported.

With the decision, Bueckers also avoided paying a $500 fine. The WNBA rules state that a player pays a $500 fine for each of their first three technical fouls. The fourth to seventh technical fouls carry a $1,000 fine each, while any technical foul beyond that will cost $1,500 apiece.

It was supposed to be Bueckers' first technical foul of the season, so she's now back to zero.

Did Paige Bueckers deserve to get this technical foul for clapping

Via @showcaseshabazz on X pic.twitter.com/inxWtTE7v5
— WNBA Got Game (@wnbagotgame) May 23, 2026

Bueckers was also happy to see her technical foul rescinded. More than the foul count and the fine that comes with it, the Wings star apparently has a "bet" with Wings teammate Alysha Clark that she wouldn't get a tech this 2026 season.

"I'm glad to get that one back," Bueckers said, per Doug Feinberg of The Associated Press.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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