Hopkins changes its name to "Paige Bueckers, Minnesota" in celebration of WNBA debut
The city of Hopkins will temporarily change its name to Paige Bueckers, Minnesota to celebrate the local basketball star.
Bueckers, who was the No. 1 draft pick this year, will make her WNBA debut with the Dallas Wings on Friday against the Minnesota Lynx.
The Hopkins High School graduate was the top high school girls basketball player in the country. When she went to play at the University of Connecticut, she became the first player ever to earn AP Player of the Year honors as a freshman.
The 23-year-old recent grad topped off her college career by winning a national championship. But the storybook ending didn't come without adversity; she missed most of her sophomore and junior seasons due to knee injuries. Her redshirt junior year, she took the team to the Final Four but lost to top-seeded Iowa.
Hopkins will host a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the changing of its name to Paige Bueckers.
The city will also change street signs along Mainstreet to Bueckers Boulevard. Entrances to the city along Excelsior Boulevard and Highway 7 will be changed to reflect the temporary switch.
