Posted by John

https://www.8asians.com/2025/08/20/8asians-exclusive-kaitlyn-chen-vs-paige-bueckers/

https://www.8asians.com/?p=30776

As I had blogged about, I got to see the Dallas Wings’ Li Yueru play when they played against the Valkyries back in July at the Chase Center in San Francisco. I had only in planning to attend that game become aware that former UCONN star and the 2025 #1 WNBA draft pick Paige Bueckers was on the Dallas Wings as well. So it was quite a treat to see also former UCONN star, teammate, friend and “sister” Kaitlyn Chen vs Paige Bueckers.  From the East Bay Times:

““Paige is someone who is very selfless,” Chen told the Bay Area News Group. “You can see that with everything she does, on and off the court, and you can tell by the way she speaks so highly of her teammates and her coaches. She’s definitely someone you want to surround yourself with.”

Bueckers was similarly effusive in a pregame interview on Friday night when describing Chen, who started alongside her in the Huskies’ run to the program’s 12th NCAA title in 2025.

“She’s one of my sisters, so it’s great to see her thrive and compete on the other end,” said Bueckers, who caught up with Chen at dinner on Thursday night. Bueckers had 17 points and six assists for the Wings on Friday night. Chen was scoreless in four minutes, but left with an 86-76 Golden State win.

After graduating from Princeton in 2024 with a degree in medical anthropology, Chen used her final year of NCAA eligibility to play for coach Geno Auriemma and his legendary Huskies dynasty.

UConn was “suffering” through an eight-year championship drought, a once-unthinkable dry spell for a program that piled up six trophies from 2009-16 and enjoyed winning streaks of 111, 90 and 70 games since the year 2000.

Chen was not on campus long before it was clear Bueckers was just as integral as Auriemma when it came to setting the tone for her one season in Storrs.

“She was a big part of getting everyone on board and understanding how important this was, and what we had to do in order to achieve it,” Chen said.

After winning that championship, the starting backcourt began their professional journeys. But while Bueckers has been tasked with resurrecting the Wings as the top pick, Chen’s journey has gotten off to a rockier start.

She was selected No. 30 overall in April – a moment that saw Bueckers and her UConn teammates celebrate with Chen in the stands – but was cut in training camp.
…
Chen was out of the WNBA for a few weeks, but returned after EuroBasket cleared out the Valkyries’ roster.

She played so well that the team decided to roll with her as the team’s final guard and controversially cutting fan favorite Julie Vanloo.”

Most importantly, I got to see Chen in the highlight Valkyrie team video intro above, even though she’s not a starter. Now that Chen is on the Valkyries’ roster, I guess there’s no reason not to include her since she’ll be with the team for the rest of the season.

Unfortunately, Chen only played for 4 minutes (while Bueckers played for 37 minutes – the most time for the Wings – no surprise!) in that come from behind win for the Valkyries, but she did face Bueckers 1-on-1 in a few situations (click on images to enlarge):

Again, with Chen getting only 4 minutes to play and our focused on some getting some photos, we only had a chance to get some video highlights of Bueckers, who played for most of the game:

We hope that in future games, we will get to see Chen have some more playing time.

The post 8Asians Exclusive: Kaitlyn Chen vs Paige Bueckers appeared first on 8Asians | An Asian American collaborative blog.

https://www.8asians.com/2025/08/20/8asians-exclusive-kaitlyn-chen-vs-paige-bueckers/

https://www.8asians.com/?p=30776

Posted by John

https://www.8asians.com/2025/08/18/8asians-exclusive-dallas-wings-li-yueru-vs-golden-state-valkryies/

https://www.8asians.com/?p=30774

I was fortunate to attend the franchise opener of the Golden State Valkyries (GSV), the first WNBA expansion since 2008). Given that the Valkyries are based in San Francisco, I’m able to attend the home games. I recently saw the only Chinese player currently in the WNBA, Dallas Wings’ Li Yueru at the Chase Center on July 25th. It was another epic win with the Valkyries coming from behind to defeat the Wings 86 to 76. 

Li was traded to the Dallas Wings back in June.  Li felt she didn’t get enough playing time with the Seattle Storm. The Wings got Li in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2026 WNBA draft and a third-round selection in 2027. She was in the starting line up against the Valkyries on the 25th and played a total of 13 minutes, scoring a 3-pointer and a free throw, for a total of 4 points.

As you can see from some of the above the video highlights and photos below, as a 6’7″ Center, Li frequently sets screens, protects the rim, and boxes out for rebounding. She wasn’t as nimble or agile as her smaller teammates or opponents, but Li definitely had an intimidating physical presence.

Li boxing out an opponent after a shot is taken:

Li looking for the rebound:

While I went to this game to see Li Yueru, the biggest draw was former UCONN and #1 WNBA draft pick Paige Bueckers. I only realized shortly after looking into who Li played for. I got to see Bueckers up close at the after the game press conference:

Bueckers had some matchups against her former teammate and friend Kaitlyn Chen. I will this write about in a future post.

The post 8Asians Exclusive: Dallas Wings’ Li Yueru vs. Golden State Valkryies appeared first on 8Asians | An Asian American collaborative blog.

https://www.8asians.com/2025/08/18/8asians-exclusive-dallas-wings-li-yueru-vs-golden-state-valkryies/

https://www.8asians.com/?p=30774