WNBA's Paige Bueckers Enters Concussion Protocol After Playing Against Angel Reese's Chicago Sky

The WNBA just lost their second big star in a matter of days.

Paige Bueckers, who was this year's No. 1 draft pick out of UCONN, has entered the concussion protocol and will miss at least the next two games after getting hurt while playing against Angel Reese's Chicago Sky. (It's always something with Angel Reese these days, isn't it?) 

BUECKERS AND CAITLIN CLARK ARE NOW BOTH OUT

The Dallas Wings announced Bueckers' concussion on Friday, although they didn't give more details as to why or how it happened. 

Some suspect it could have happened at the end of the first half when Paige had a head-to-head collision with the Sky's Courtney Vanderdloot. Bueckers ended up on the ground for some time after, but was allowed to return to the game for the second half, in which she finished with 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds in 36 minutes of playing time. The following afternoon, the Wings released the concussion statement.  

Bueckers' absence comes just a few days after the WNBA's most popular player, Caitlin Clark, suffered a quad injury and will reportedly miss two weeks.

No Clark and no Bueckers? That's a headache and a half for WNBA executives who are all-in on the league's recent popularity surge, which no doubt can be attributed to the two stars, especially Caitlin Clark, who has played in all  of the WNBA's Top 5 highest-rated regular-season games. 

WHAT WILL THE RATINGS SHOW?

To lose two of your most popular players so early in the season, even for just a few games, will be an awakening for not only the league, but also its media partners. Last year, the WNBA secured a massive $2.2 billion broadcast rights deal with ESPN, Amazon, and NBCU starting with the 2026 season. 

You can be sure they are paying very close attention to the Indiana Fever, and now the Dallas Wings' ratings in the coming days to see how much they fall off.

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