Before tipoff between the New York Liberty and Dallas Wings, Breanna Stewart handed Paige Bueckers a plate of hot dogs. Bueckers looked surprised. Then she laughed.
The moment happened during their pregame handshake on the court Tuesday night. And Stewart had a reason for the gesture beyond just being a good host.
“When you come to New York, you get a glizzy,” Stewart said on the broadcast.
The UConn connection is strong between these two. Stewart is the veteran superstar, a two-time WNBA MVP and three-time champion. Bueckers is the second-year phenom who won Rookie of the Year last season. They share a college pedigree that makes moments like this feel natural, even in a competitive setting.
But Stewart explained that the hot dogs were really about a missed holiday. Bueckers and the Wings were in Toronto playing the Tempo on the Fourth of July. That meant no classic American cookout. No hot dogs and fireworks. Stewart wanted to fix that.
So she brought the Fourth of July to the arena, basically. A plate of hot dogs and a smile.
The Game With Real Stakes
This wasn’t just a fun pregame bit though. Both teams came into the game with 13-8 records. The fourth seed in the WNBA standings was basically on the line. So yeah, the hot dogs were nice, but the basketball mattered a lot.
Stewart is having another All-Star year. Her numbers are slightly down from previous seasons but she’s still averaging 20.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. She’s shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 86.6 percent from the free-throw line. Not bad for someone who’s been carrying a heavy load all season.
Bueckers, meanwhile, has taken a leap in her second year. She’s putting up 20.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists. And her efficiency is legit — 52.2 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from three. Those are star numbers.
This game was essentially a preview of the present versus the future. Stewart is arguably a top three player in the league right now. Bueckers looks like she’ll be exactly that in a few years. The hot dog plate just made the whole thing feel human.
Bueckers picked up a hot dog and took a bite before the game. Stewart watched and nodded. That was the whole interaction. Simple, funny, no drama.
Sometimes the best pregame moments are just two great players sharing a weird joke before getting down to business.
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