After concern surrounding Paige Bueckers' injury status as Team USA won a fifth straight FIBA Women's World Cup, the Dallas Wings guard said patellar tendinitis in her right knee "flared up." She provided the update following Wings practice on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
“There was two back-to-backs," Bueckers told reporters. "Just wanted to be cautious, take that approach. Obviously the timing was frustrating, but being smart about it too, knowing that there’s a reason and purpose for everything.”
Bueckers played less than three minutes in Team USA's 97-79 win over France in the gold medal game on Sept. 13. She went scoreless with one rebound. In the combined five prior games, she averaged 8.8 points, 2.2 assists and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 55.2%
from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range.
Questions surrounding Bueckers' health began to circulate when a video surfaced online showing the the 24-year-old as she stopped and rubbed her right knee before running off the court before Sunday's game.
Bueckers is having an All-WNBA caliber season with the Wings, averaging 20.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, while shooting 50.6% from the field, including 39.7% from 3-point range.
This comes amid a long history of right knee issues for the 2025 No. 1 overall pick out of UConn. She missed one game with a right knee injury during her Rookie of the Year campaign last season. During college, she underwent two major knee injuries due to a a tibial plateau fracture and torn meniscus in 2021 and torn ACL in 2022.
Bueckers didn't participate in practice with the Wings on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and Wings coach Jose Fernandez said she was resting after her return from the FIBA World Cup.
Fernandez said the team provided Bueckers more rest Wednesday, giving her what described as "a good 15-20 minutes of work” on the court.
She'll be “full go” at the team's shootaround ahead of the Wings' home game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday, Sept. 17, Fernandez added.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Paige Bueckers injury update: Why Wings guard was limited in World Cup championship
