Paige Bueckers Wins 2026 WNBA Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award

Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers was named the WNBA's 2026 recipient of the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award, the league announced on Thursday morning.

Bueckers, who just played in her second WNBA season, has given back to the community going back to her college days as a star for UConn. The league's press release noted her efforts to combat food insecurity and support students in Minnesota through basketball and mentorship.

Additionally, Bueckers worked with Gatorade to refurbish a court in Minnesota and gave a $25,000 donation to nonprofit Athletic Committed Enlightened Scholars, and held a free basketball camp for nearly 100 middle and high school girls in Minnetonka, Minnesota. In Dallas, Bueckers worked in the Wings' annual Unified Game with Special Olympics of North Texas and participated in numerous other iniatives.

"Paige Bueckers embodies the spirit of what this award, established in my name, represents," said Dawn Staley in a statement. "Through her leadership, compassion, and commitment to service, Paige uses her platform to uplift communities and inspire the next generation. I'm proud to honor her for making a difference that reaches far beyond basketball."

The award honors WNBA Hall of Famer and current South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and recognizes a current WNBA player who "reflects Staley's spirit, leadership, charitable efforts, love for the game, and inspirational presence." It has been a league postseason award since 2008.

"With every partnership I take on, it's really important to me to include a charity or community engagement component," Bueckers said in a statement. "I've been fortunate to have so many people and communities invest in me throughout my life, and I want to pay that forward by using my platform to create opportunities for the next generation. Whether that's through sports, education, food security or mentorship, I want to make sure people have access to opportunities they might not otherwise have. Sports have given me so much, and I think they can be such a powerful way to bring people together, build community and create opportunity."