Fri May 16 22:50:00 UTC 2025: **FOR ONE DAY ONLY: Hopkins, Minnesota Rebrands as “Paige Bueckers, Minnesota” to Honor WNBA Star**
HOPKINS, MN – In a move celebrating the WNBA debut of hometown hero Paige Bueckers, the city of Hopkins, Minnesota, is undergoing a temporary transformation. On Friday, May 16th, Hopkins will officially be known as “Paige Bueckers, Minnesota” in honor of the basketball star.
City officials announced the name change in a news release, detailing that entrance signs on Excelsior Boulevard and Highway 7 will be swapped out to reflect the new moniker. Main Street will also see a temporary change, with street signs along the thoroughfare being replaced with “Bueckers Boulevard.”
The celebratory gesture coincides with Bueckers’ first regular-season game with the Dallas Wings against the Minnesota Lynx in Dallas at 6:30 p.m. A ribbon-cutting event is planned for Friday morning to mark the official name change and celebrate Bueckers’ achievements.
Bueckers rose to national prominence while playing for Hopkins High School, earning the title of National Girls Basketball Player of the Year in 2020 and gracing the cover of Slam Magazine as the first female high school player to do so. Her talent was evident even before high school, with local sportscaster Gary Knox tweeting in 2013 about her exceptional skills as a 6th grader.
After a successful college career at the University of Connecticut, culminating in a national championship, Bueckers was drafted first overall by the Dallas Wings, cementing her status as one of basketball’s brightest young stars.
First Piper 