While it may be off-season for the WNBA, both Paige Bueckers and Maddy Siegrest of the Dallas Wings still have their heads in the game.

Earlier this month, we caught up with Bueckers and Siegrest while they made an appearance at The Shops at Park Lane for Hasbro Game Zone, a collaborative pop-up event with Amazon. Though they’re used to playing on the same team, the two standouts tested their skills and strategy against each other with large, interactive versions of Hasbro’s iconic games.

Bueckers — who was named the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year — made her debut season as a Wings’ guard, averaging 19.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. But off the court, she crushed a game of Connect 4.

“I grew up playing Connect 4,” Bueckers says. “So when I heard there was a twist on the classic with Connect 4 Frenzy, I was sold.”

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Though she plays these games in good fun with friends and family, she still maintains her vigorous spirit. Once a competitor, always a competitor.

“I am competitive in almost everything I do, so board games are no different – always intense and fun,” she says. “To name a few, Connect 4, of course, Bop-It, Battlefield, Monopoly and Spades.”

Siegrest is also quite competitive, notably at Monopoly.

“I start strategizing the second the game starts,” she says. “Every family game night growing up ended with someone storming off because of Monopoly. It’s all love though, it just gets competitive in the Siegrist house.”

Down time is made easier for the two pro ballers when the stakes aren’t as high. However, they also enjoy a little bit of healthy competition between teammates.

“Getting to connect with fans and see everyone having fun together… reminded me of being a kid and how games can bring people together in the best way,” Siegrest says. “Beating Paige was also a plus.”

For her part, Siegrest just wrapped her third WNBA season as a forward, averaging 12.7 points per game. Throughout her career, she has lived by the mantra of focusing solely on the things she can control.

“I remind myself that effort and attitude are always in my hands,” Siegrest says. “When I focus on those, I can block out distractions and just be the best teammate I can be.”

Maddy Siegrist and Paige Bueckers are teammates on the court, but off the court, they enjoy facing off.

Rick Kern/Getty Images for Hasbro

Both Siegrest and Bueckers hail from northern regions — Siegrest from Poughkeepsie, New York, and Bueckers from Edina, Minnesota. Bueckers played college basketball at the University of Connecticut and Siegrest at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. But both of them have adjusted to Dallas quite well, despite a few initial bumps in the road.

“I thought Philly summers were bad until I had to practice in Dallas in July,” Siegrest says.

Bueckers, meanwhile, has enjoyed getting acclimated to hearty southern cuisine.

“I have to go to more barbecue spots, but so far, my favorite is probably Hurtado,” she says. “My current order is The El Jefe meat platter, green beans, corn, brisket tostada and tater tot hash.”

After a tough season (the Wings finished the 2025 WNBA season with a 10-34 record), Bueckers and Siegrest have found themselves recalibrating. They both say they’ve been focused on implementing more self-care into their daily routines. 

“I went to WorldSprings [in The Colony] and that was fun,” Bueckers says. “I’ve ventured out to the Fort Worth area, which is very nice, and the city of Dallas has great food spots.” 

For Siegrest, this looks like hitting up, “anywhere with the best coffee, [and] I love trying out Pilates studios when I can.”

Having been in Texas for a few years now, Siegrest says her music taste has evolved to reflect a larger, Texas-sized palate. As she’s continued training during off-season, she’s been listening to a lot of Drake, Zach Bryan, Taylor Swift “and some country.” Meanwhile, Bueckers’ workout playlist comprises “lots of R&B  — Drake, Victoria Monet, Brent Faiyaz, Olivia Dean, Giveon, Kehlani, SZA, Coco Jones, Ari Lennox.”

Beginning in January, both Bueckers and Siegrest will participate in Unrivaled, a women’s three-on-three basketball league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, in an effort to give WNBA players a domestic playing option during the offseason and help them avoid conflicts created by the WNBA’s prioritization rule for those competing overseas. Bueckers will play on the Breeze Basketball Club and Siegrest on the Laces Basketball Club.

“I haven’t played 3v3 since probably high school and it’s a super fun brand of basketball,” says Bueckers. “Getting to live in Miami, compete and do what I love with an amazing group of women is going to be great.”

We’ll check back in on their North Texas barbecue exploration before the 2026 season tips off.