Paige Bueckers is using her platform to challenge who gets to lead in the WNBA. After posting 22 points and 11 rebounds in Dallas's win over the Chicago Sky on Sunday, the Wings guard turned her postgame press conference into a call for change.
For the first time since 2020, no Black women hold head coaching positions in the league. Only two of the WNBA's 15 head coaches are Black, and both are men. In total, just seven women are leading a WNBA franchise during this 2026 season.
Paige Bueckers Advocates for Black Women Coaches in the WNBA
Bueckers, who is white, said the gap is personal. Black women shaped her upbringing, from her stepmom to her AAU coach, and she believes they deserve the same shot at becoming WNBA leaders.
"This league was built on a lot of Black women," Bueckers told reporters. "It's definitely right for them to get the same equal opportunity as everyone else."
Bueckers has never shied from advocacy. While playing for UConn, she used her 2021 ESPYs speech to call out the lack of media coverage for Black women athletes. Now she's directing that same energy toward WNBA coaches and the hiring practices behind them.
