The Dallas Wings got their sixth win in a row on Sunday afternoon by taking down a feisty Los Angeles Sparks squad 90-82 at home, but the celebration was muted after star guard Paige Bueckers suffered a scary collision with Nneka Ogwumike late in the fourth quarter and had to be helped to the locker room. The team did not have an update on her status immediately postgame.
Bueckers was having a phenomenal game, racking up 25 points, four rebounds and five assists, but with 3:33 left in the game, she positioned herself to take a charge from Ogwumike, who was dribbling the ball across halfcourt with the Sparks trailing by just four points. Wings' guard Azzi Fudd tripped and fouled Ogwumike, and the Sparks legend crashed into Bueckers' knee on her way to the floor. The former UConn guard hit her head hard on the court when she went down.
Paige Bueckers heads to the locker room after a collision with Nneka Ogwumike and hitting the floor hard. pic.twitter.com/EBn8A5DqSW
— The Wings Bulletin (@WingsBulletin) July 19, 2026
Both players remained on the floor in pain for a couple of minutes as their teammates surrounded them and held up towels to give them privacy from the cameras. Eventually, both were able to get up on their own accord and embraced before Bueckers walked to the locker room and Ogwumike went to the bench, where her already-wrapped right hand was attended to. She returned to the game immediately, while Bueckers did not.
Wings coach Jose Fernandez said after the game that Bueckers was joking with Fudd about taking away her charge.
No update on Paige Bueckers from Jose Fernandez postgame, but it seems she might be in good spirits.
— Drake (@DrakeKeeler) July 19, 2026
“She’s upset at Azzi because she said Azzi tripped her [Nneka] and took away P’s charge,” Fernandez says 😂
Team expects to know more in the next few hours
The physicality of the game and officiating have been major flash points in the WNBA during the first half of the season, as many players and coaches have expressed frustration with refs allowing too much contact. Much of the conversation has centered around hard fouls on Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, but the league as a whole is clearly still trying to figure out where the line is between tough defense, freedom of movement and excessive fouling. Injuries are up across the league this year, per The IX's injury tracker.
However, Sunday's incident was an example that you can't officiate all of the jeopardy out of the sport. Fudd's trip of Ogwumike, while certainly a foul, was incidental and Ogwumike clearly did not barrel into Bueckers on purpose. It was an unfortunate situation, but not a malicious one.
The Sparks, who capped off a four-game road trip with their fourth straight loss on Sunday, don't play again until Wednesday, when they host the Phoenix Mercury. The Wings, however, are scheduled to play a make-up game against the New York Liberty on Monday. The back-to-back wasn't originally planned; the two teams were originally scheduled to face off on Thursday night, but the game was postponed due to mechanical issues with the LIberty's charter plane. The Wings will then travel to Portland on Wednesday to wrap up things before the All-Star break.
Both Bueckers and Ogwumike are All-Stars and expected to compete in Chicago next weekend. Bueckers, who is having an MVP-caliber season in her sophomore campaign, received the most fan votes and was named a starter for her second All-Star appearance. Ogwumike, meanwhile, is an All-Star for the 11th time in her career, tying her with Diana Taurasi for the second-most All-Star nods in WNBA history.
