Outkick reporter Jon Root slammed Paige Bueckers for her recent pitch to WINBA. The Wings star voiced her concerns about the lack of black coaches, especially women black coaches, in the league, following a 96-91 win over the Chicago Sky on Sunday.
Root shared a video on Outkick’s X account on Tuesday. He criticized Bueckers for pushing a narrative of diversity and equity when sports, according to him, are about meritocracy.
“She’s literally pushing diversity, equity and inclusion. Sports are about meritocracy,” he said. “Paige Bueckers is so embraced by the WNBA establishment, media and players is because of crap like this.”
The Wings star called out the league for giving black women the same opportunities as white women and men.
“(Black women) should get the same equal opportunity as a white woman, as a white man to be an important piece of this league,” she said. “(The league) was built on a lot of black women… So it’s definitely right for them to get the same equal opportunity as everybody else.”
Noelle Quinn was the last black woman to coach a WNBA team. The Seattle Storm fired her in 2025. This season, the WNBA head coaching lineup features two black coaches, but none of them are women.
Quinn then joined Breeze BC as their head coach in the 2026 Unrivaled season. She coached Bueckers and the Breeze BC to a semifinal appearance.
“I think it’s powerful that there are… five Black women head coaches in the Unrivaled league. It’s not by accident,” Quinn said in November. “I believe it’s intentional and they’ve proven Unrivaled is leading the way and showing that Black women are capable and giving us the opportunity is important.”
Paige Bueckers reveals the importance of black women in her life
Later in the postgame interview on Sunday, Paige Bueckers revealed the importance of black women in her life.
“I grew up with a lot of prominent Black women in my life that were very important to me… my stepmom, my AAU coach,” she said. “So I understand how amazing they are.”
The Wings guard is on a tear this season. She scored a double-double, recording 22 points, six rebounds and 11 assists to secure a win for the Wings against the Sky. She is averaging 20.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game on 51.6% shooting.
Edited by Avi Shravan
