"Blessed": Paige Bueckers' Wings teammate Maddy Siegrist expresses gratitude after heartfelt meeting with Pope Leo XIV

Paige Bueckers’ Dallas Wings teammate Maddy Siegrist started her offseason with a getaway to Italy. While in Rome, she shared photos on Instagram from her visit to the Colosseum and Vatican City.

During her time at the Vatican, Maddy had the incredible opportunity to meet Pope Leo XIV, who, like her, is also an alumna of Villanova University.

“Blessed to have been able to visit the capital of the Catholic Church 🤍,” Maddy captioned her IG post.

The social media activity was received with a lot of love from fans, who filled the comments section with positive messages.

“This is amazing,” teammate Grace Berger wrote. “🙌❤️🙌Pope Leo & Maddy!! \V/ ⬆️ You are so blessed!” @mcgowancolleen said. “Go nova… I’m so proud of you for witnessing our faith!” @juancrodr1guezh said. “villanova’s two most famous alumni,” @sarah_harris14 wrote. “maddy x the pope is a crazy collab,” another fan wrote. “Love this Maddy. You are so beautiful!” @lacyy_laceee said.

Credits: Instagram (@maddysiegrist)

Credits: Instagram (@maddysiegrist)

Siegrist has been enjoying a well-deserved break after the best season of her young WNBA career. She wrapped up the year with averages of 12.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.3 combined steals and blocks per game, all personal bests.

Her teammate Paige Bueckers also impressed in her first season, winning Rookie of the Year after posting 19.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.

Despite the strong performances from both players, the Dallas Wings struggled to win ball games and finished the season with a mere 22.7% success rate. As a result, the franchise fired head coach Chris Koclanes

Dallas Wings #1 pick Paige Bueckers catches Dallas Mavericks #1 pick in action

The Dallas Mavericks began their 2025–2026 preseason on October 6 with a preseason matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Dickies Arena. A crowd of 12,159 fans filled the venue to watch the much-anticipated debut of Cooper Flagg. Among those in attendance was Dallas Wings’ #1 pick Paige Bueckers.

Before the game, Bueckers had the chance to meet one of her basketball idols, Kyrie Irving, who was sidelined as he continues to recover from a torn left ACL.

Flagg lived up to the expectations, putting up 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists to lead the Mavericks to a 106–89 victory. The Mavericks are hoping that Flagg’s rookie season mirrors Bueckers' success, as she went on to capture Rookie of the Year honors at the end of the campaign

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash