Original Publish Date: June 2, 2025
Article Link: https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/article307490541.html
Paige Bueckers was a household name in women’s basketball long before she donned the blue and green for the Dallas Wings.
For the past year Buecker’s brand has been making waves off the court and into the sports collectibles industry.
Prior to her senior season with the UConn Huskies, the number one overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft signed an exclusive deal with Panini America, a sports and entertainment collectibles company based in Irving.
Jason Howarth, the SVP of Marketing and Athlete Relations for Panini America, says the sales for Bueckers’ rookie card rival former college superstars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
“She, without a doubt, will be the most collected rookie in this class,” Howarth said. “I think she can have the impact with the Dallas wings that Caitlin’s had with Indiana.”
Bueckers, through six games this season, is averaging 14.7 points per game with 4.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2 steals.
In the Wings’ first win of the season on the road against the Connecticut Sun, Bueckers scored 21 points while shooting 80% from the field.
Bueckers suffered an injury on Saturday after suffering a concussion against the Chicago Sky. She is currently under concussion protocol and is expected to miss at least two games before a possible return on June 6 against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Howarth said he believes that as the season progresses the demand for her cards and collectibles will continue to grow.
“It’s always interesting right at the start of the year,” Howarth said. “The players are feeling each other and just learning to play with each other. So as that continues to progress and she continues to be performing, she will be highly sought after.”
Howarth says Panini will have cards available around key moments and milestones and performances throughout Buecker’s rookie season physically and digitally on Panini’s online platform. The series of products will cover a variety of brands and include high-end options that Horwath says will be popular among collectors.
The first set of cards for the 2025 WNBA season, Howarth says, will be available in July. Howarth says the prices of the cards will vary depending on the card set and whether it is autographed. The Donruss WNBA price for Walmart and Target, he says, is expected to be under $40.
“Those cards will be highly sought after,” Howarth said. “Not just in Dallas, but around the globe in terms of the popularity or related to the WNBA and the growth that we’ve had over the last two years.”
It wasn’t planned, but having Bueckers land in Dallas added an unexpected local connection for Panini. Howarth says the local impact of having a star like Paige will continue to be exponential.
“When Dallas was the one that was awarded the number one overall pick, we were ecstatic because obviously Paige was playing right down the street from us,” Howarth said. “So very cool to have a relationship with someone that started while they were in college at the collegiate level, to then come into the pros and have them be based here where we’re headquartered as well.”
As for other trading cards, Howarth says that most valuable ones will be rookie cards like Bueckers. Howarth pointed to the upcoming NBA draft in June and the incoming rookie class for the Dallas Cowboy as possible high-value cards in the future, highlighting potential top-five NBA draft pick and Dallas native Tre Johnson.
“The rookies are always the highly sought after trading cards, so those are the ones that you’re going to want to look for,” Howarth said.
Howarth says the various WNBA card sets will be available on Panini’s website, Target, Walmart and Hobby stores nationwide.