​As the Dallas Wings defeated the Chicago Sky 96-91 on Sunday night at the American Airlines Center, they extended their winning streak to five games and underscored their readiness for a bigger stage. The Wings, now 16–8, have been a frequent visitor to Dallas’ sports calendar, though their typical home court is UT-Arlington’s College Park Center. Sunday marked their first of three AAC appearances this summer, and the enthusiastic Dallas crowd did not leave disappointed.
Three Wings—Paige Bueckers, Jessica Shepard, and Li Yueru—posted double-doubles in the win over the Sky, who dropped to 7–16 on the season. Bueckers, who poured in eight points in the fourth quarter, finished with a game-high 22 points to go with 11 assists and six rebounds. Teammates Arike Ogunbowale and Azzi Fudd also reached double figures, helping Dallas rise to fourth place in the Western Conference standings. The Wings have built momentum with a strong run of performances, signaling their emergence as a formidable contender as they push toward the postseason.
Dallas, which played two games at AAC last season, has two more AAC games on the schedule this summer—the dates featuring the Golden State Valkyries and the Indiana Fever. Looking ahead, AAC could become the Wings’ permanent gameday home for the 2027 season, as the team awaits a renovated Memorial Auditorium in downtown that had been slated to open in 2026. The renovation timeline has faced delays due to the city’s bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup’s International Broadcast Center, which postponed construction and shifted the move-in date to 2028. Wings CEO and managing partner Greg Bibb indicated earlier this summer that conversations about playing next season at AAC had occurred, but a formal agreement was not finalized.
Sunday’s raucous AAC crowd demonstrated rising local interest in the Wings, a franchise retooling after a 10–34 season that built momentum toward 2026. Dallas had entered Sunday on a four-game winning streak, coming off a two-week trip along the East Coast with stops in Connecticut, Toronto, New York, and Montreal. In fact, the Wings’ late-week swing included a historic stop at Montreal’s Bell Centre, where they defeated the Toronto Tempo 108-95 in front of a sellout crowd of 20,996, setting the all-time WNBA regular-season attendance record for a single game. Bueckers supplied 34 points in that Friday night victory, her second 30-point game of the season, underscoring her scoring prowess as the 2025 No. 1 overall pick and the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year continues to dominate, averaging around 20.6 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.1 rebounds through the season’s early stretch and into the Sunday performance.
In addition to Bueckers’ star turn, Shepard’s season has been notable: the 2026 free-agent acquisition has already posted three triple-doubles this year, and she earned her first All-Star bid this season, also earning a starting spot. Shepard remains the only WNBA player this season to record a triple-double, highlighting her all-around impact and the Wings’ depth as they head toward the All-Star break with three games remaining.
With the All-Star break on the horizon and three games left to sharpen their form, Dallas is intent on continuing its winning streak and maintaining momentum heading into a future that could feature many more home dates at AAC. The Wings’ blend of veteran leadership and rising young talent, combined with strong early-season performances like those from Bueckers and Shepard, positions Dallas as a team to watch as the league approaches the midseason stretch and the push for playoff positioning.
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