Paige Bueckers surprises young fans at unveiling of refurbished Twin Cities basketball court

An astonished assortment of kids got a Paige Bueckers surprise Monday in her hometown of St. Louis Park, Minnesota. 

A day after the WNBA star and her Dallas Wings played the Minnesota Lynx, Bueckers unveiled a refurbished basketball court at Blackstone Park.

"Brings me back to my childhood of just being so happy to be at a basketball court," Bueckers said. "Looking up to my role models on the Minnesota Lynx. So for me to come back, invest in the community, invest in the city that made me who I am, it's really a dream come true."

It looks a lot different now, but Bueckers grew up daily practicing and playing on the very same court. Monday was a full-circle moment.  

"I grew up in these townhomes and I came to this park probably every day in the summer," Bueckers said. "I dribbled in the garage at the house when it was winter, so this is really where I fell in love with the game."

The court where it all happened now bears her name. Bueckers visited the spot the night before her Wings played the Lynx this weekend to reflect.

"To tell my younger self, how proud of me I am and just to see the journey that it took to get here and the dreams that I was dreaming when I was on this court, the games that I was envisioning myself playing in, and now I'm in the WNBA, it's just a dream come true," she said.

Bueckers is living her dream and inspiring Minnesota's next generation of basketball players.

"I hope this is a core memory for them, just being able to interact with them and letting them know that it can be them, too," she said.