WNBA Officiating Takes a Hilarious Turn with the Wrong Player Shooting Free Throws

Paige Bueckers has not had a great start to her WNBA career as she and her Dallas Wings have yet to win a game so far.

WNBA Officiating Takes a Hilarious Turn with the Wrong Player Shooting Free Throws

DiJonai Carrington pointed out officiating mistake allowing Napheesa Collier to shoot free throws (Image via FirstSportz)

The 2025 WNBA season is in full effect, and all teams are getting a feel for how their roster is working. Today, the Minnesota Lynx, led by Napheesa Collier, took on Paige Bueckers and her Dallas Wings for the second time.

Last time around, it was their home opener, and they lost by fifteen points as Bueckers and her new team struggled to adjust to the Lynx’s late-game surge. In that game, the UConn star also got a first-hand experience on the perils of officiating in the WNBA.

This time around, they again fell back early. But starting from the second half, Bueckers and her teammates started to get into the game and managed to run down the deficit. In the midst of this, another officiating blunder ended up making the situation comical.

Arike Ogunbowale had fouled Natisha Hiedeman as she was trying to run away for an easy score. Since the Wings were over the foul limit, Lynx players lined up to attempt free throws. Napheesa Collier stood at the free-throw line and calmly shot one.

Just as Collier was about to shoot, Wings guard DiJonai Carrington yelled out at the referees to indicate that Collier was not the one who was fouled, and neither was she shooting the ball when. As the ball went in, Carrington screamed:

She wasn’t even shoootinggguhh!!!

DiJonai Carrington screamed at officials

At this moment, her teammates came over to point out that she was right. Napheesa Collier stood at the line with a guilty look on her face and laughed about the situation with Paige Bueckers and former teammate and current Wings forward Myisha Hines-Allen.

DiJonai Carrington hammers Jessica Shepard

This free-throw mix-up was not the first tryst DiJonai Carrington had with the officials in this game. Before this incident, officials slapped a flagrant 1 foul on the reigning Most Improved Player of the Year. That was after she hammered Minnesota Lynx center Jessica Shepard.

On a fast break, Hiedeman passed the ball to Shepard when Paige Bueckers ran towards her to defend. As soon as the 28-year-old rose for a layup, Carrington hammered her from behind. The Dallas Wings guard wanted to block the layup, but instead smacked Shepard’s head.

Players from both teams came over to stop the two from starting a brawl as Shepard was livid after getting smacked from behind. Officials reviewed the play and noticed that the Defensive 1st teamer’s hand was nowhere near the ball. That is when officials deemed it was too rough a play and awarded a flagrant 1.

Carrington is known for doing that extra bit to unsettle opposing players. But in this instance, she did not need to do anything as Bueckers got a hand on the ball, and it would have been a block. But the Wings are trying to win their first game, which is probably why the Baylor alum wanted to do whatever was necessary.

Paige Bueckers waiting for first WNBA win

The Dallas Wings did show some fight in the second half and could have caused a major upset. But the Minnesota Lynx are regarded as WNBA title contenders for a reason. At the end, their experience and superior roster were the difference in the 85-81 win.

Paige Bueckers has yet to win her first WNBA game
Paige Bueckers has yet to win her first WNBA game (Image via Kevin Jairaj/X)

But this loss should give Paige Bueckers and her teammates some solace. They displayed a fighting spirit and, with their improving understanding of each other, are a game or two away from notching their first win of the season.

The next game might not be easy, considering the Atlanta Dream is not a team to be taken lightly. They just defeated the Indiana Fever and look confident to continue winning against others. But the next three games could give them a chance to break the duck.

From May 27th to 31st, the Wings will face three teams that are also struggling to win games. The Connecticut Sun are a shell of their former selves and the Chicago Sky looked lost in the season opener against the Fever. Those three games will give Paige Bueckers a chance to win her first ever WNBA game.

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