Paige Bueckers returns to Minnesota: Dapper Dan dresses Wings star for homecoming game vs. Lynx

A week into her WNBA career, Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers is playing her first game in her home state of Minnesota on Wednesday night. In celebration, she got a one-of-a-kind outfit from fashion designer Dapper Dan, along with some words of wisdom.

“The best advice that I can give to people is a cautionary thought, and that is, ‘Think closely about what you want to say,'” Dapper Dan told CBS Sports. “People ask me all the time, ‘How do you determine what you are going to wear?’ I say it’s because I always dress for the mission.”

The outfit he designed for Bueckers features a very specific color — Sherwin-Williams’ Radiant Lilac SW 0074. That is officially this year’s least popular color, also known as The Loneliest Color of 2025. Dapper Dan didn’t know this at the beginning of their project, but lilac happens to be Bueckers’ favorite color. 

“I don’t really believe in coincidences, so I would say God did it for sure,” Bueckers told CBS Sports.

Being back in Minnesota and wearing an outfit designed by a fashion legend is full-circle moment for Bueckers, not just with basketball but also with her style and how she expresses herself. When asked what she would consider her “mission,” Bueckers said it’s simply being “confident” and hopefully inspiring others in the process. 

“I think I struggled at times growing up. I always got made fun of for being a tomboy, always wearing boys clothes when I was little,” Bueckers said. “Now, I’m not ashamed of it — I’m actually super proud of it. And I think to show whatever young kid, girl or boy, you don’t have to fit in with the stereotype of what a girl is supposed to wear or a boy is supposed to wear, what toys you are supposed to play with, anything like that.

“Just inspire people to be their most confident selves, not care about the opinions of others because they can’t touch you when you are your most confident self. I think that’s the mission I want to get behind. Being cool, whatever is cool at the time is subjective. Who even gets to decide that, who makes that up? You can make up your own descriptions for yourself.”

Dapper Dan has worked with actors, musicians and star athletes such as Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather and Jalen Ramsey. Bueckers is just starting her professional career, but she already stands out to him. He said Bueckers was so “warm” and “gentle” that he immediately felt like he had known her a long time. Now, he is just excited for the rest of the world to keep learning about her.

“I’ve worked with a lot of stars, and the energy that she set off with the way she was acting and interfacing with me was just truly amazing,” Dapper Dan said. “I think going forward people are going to discover a great human being because she is, she truly is.”