Paige Bueckers Says it Was 'Surreal' to Meet Mavs' Kyrie Irving After Wings vs. Fever

Paige Bueckers hooked up fellow Dallas star Kyrie Irving with a signed jersey after the Wings’ loss to the Indiana Fever on Friday, a moment she called "pretty surreal" while speaking with reporters after the game.

"For him to come out and support us, support women's basketball, have his daughter there, get to meet him, he's been like a big brother figure for me and to finally meet him in person, it was a great moment," Bueckers said.

Mavericks guard Irving showed up for the first night of the Wings’ back-to-back home stretch, catching their matchup against the Fever — who were without an injured Caitlin Clark.

The Wings fell 94-86 despite a late-game surge that tied things up, but they couldn’t complete the comeback in Clark’s absence. Still, Bueckers impressed with 27 points, six assists, two steals and two blocks — and capped the night with a postgame meet-up with one of the NBA’s best.

While rookie Bueckers is averaging 17.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.8 steals on 45.7 percent shooting from the field, Irving is deep into his offseason recovery. The Mavericks guard is rehabbing a torn ACL and recently signed a three-year, $119 million contract to remain in Dallas.