Paige Bueckers Fans Crushed By Postgame Reaction After Game 3 Loss vs. Valkyries

Brutal ending for Paige.

by Chris Rosvoglou

Oct 3, 2026

Paige Bueckers of the Wings.

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images&period;

Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings had their 2026 campaign end at the hands of the Golden State Valkyries this Friday.

Bueckers struggled in Game 3 against the Valkyries, scoring 17 points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field. Fans felt as if she was invisible in the fourth quarter, which is just not what you expect to say about the UConn legend.

During the Wings’ postgame press conference, Bueckers broke down in tears as Arike Ogunbowale was being asked about their 2026 season. The veteran put her hand around Bueckers and delivered a heartfelt response.

“I think a lot of people counted us out a lot all throughout the whole season, but we never— we truly never cared about what people said,” Ogunbowale told reporters. “We know what we had in this locker room. Uh, we knew we can compete with anybody regardless of even what the first game was in the playoffs. We knew we had what it took.”

Oct 2, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) walks off of the court after game three of the first round for the 2026 WNBA Playoffs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images.

As you’d imagine, WNBA fans felt terrible for Bueckers once the game went final.

“When you’re barely holding it together and then someone you’re close to is even a little bit nice to you it’s like pulling the pin on an emotional bomb. This is so intensely relatable,” one fan said.

“This must be so hard as an athlete. I can’t imagine having to do an interview after losing a huge game. Get out of my face bro,” a second fan commented.

“Pure hooper, if you don’t cry tears after losing you don’t really love the game,” another fan wrote on X.

“I like this. Makes me like Arike and Paige. Paige cares. I like it. The game is important to her. I like the support from Arike,” Jason Whitlock added.

The future is still bright for Dallas.

At the end of the day, the Wings weren’t supposed to be title contenders this season.

With Bueckers at the helm, however, Dallas should be a playoff contender again in 2027.

It would also help if the Wings get a full season from Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 pick from this year’s draft. She averaged 13.1 points and 1.7 steals per game this season.

We’ll see if Bueckers and Fudd lead the Wings to new heights in 2027.