Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers shared her thoughts on Tuesday on the sideline spat between her former Huskies coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina tactician Dawn Staley. During an unscheduled interview with TMZ Sports, Bueckers called the viral moment on Friday “unfortunate.”
Instead of dwelling on the Auriemma-Staley confrontation, Bueckers gave a shout-out to the Final Four participants. The 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year added that “good basketball being played” should have been the highlight of the tournament.
One fan reacted to Paige Bueckers’ comment:
“She better call him out. Fake activist.”
Another fan added:
“Does she know some of the stress some went through?”
One more fan continued:
“WTF is my girl doing on TMZ?”
Another fan commented:
“Stay out of our family business.”
One fan tweeted:
“You can see the disappointment in her eyes when asked about it.”
Bueckers often uses her platform and popularity to push for social justice and opportunity, particularly for Black women. She just refused to call out Geno Auriemma, who eventually apologized on Saturday and then on Tuesday. Auriemma and Bueckers have a strong relationship, so it wasn’t surprising that she didn’t focus on his former coach’s viral and controversial incident with Dawn Staley.
Rebecca Lobo, ESPN’s lead analyst for women’s basketball, called her former coach’s actions “wrong.” A few other players who have played for the 12-time champion coach also didn’t agree with what Auriemma did after UConn lost 62-48 in the Final Four.
When the 72-year-old coach apologized on Saturday, he didn’t even bother to mention Dawn Staley. It wasn’t until Tuesday that he included the most important person in his apology.
Paige Bueckers, Geno Auriemma Beat Dawn Staley, South Carolina in Point Guard’s Final NCAA Game
Paige Bueckers helped end an eight-year title drought for Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies in 2025. With Bueckers leading the way, the Huskies finished their campaign with a 37-3 record and dethroned the then Dawn Staley-coached South Carolina Gamecocks.
In the championship game, UConn dominated from start to finish to win 82-59. Sarah Strong scattered 24 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. Azzi Fudd added 24 points, five rebounds and three steals. Bueckers, the heart and soul of the team, contributed 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Roughly a year later, the Gamecocks dominated the Huskies to get their revenge.
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