DAL Wings

The Shock were one of the first WNBA expansion teams and began play in 1998. The Shock quickly brought in a blend of rookies and veterans, but only qualified for the postseason once in its first five years of existence. The Shock went through two coaches (hall of famer Nancy Lieberman and Greg Williams) before hiring former Detroit Pistons legend Bill Laimbeer. Rumors arose that the Shock would fold after the team's awful 2002 season. Laimbeer convinced the owners to keep the team for another year, certain that he could turn things around. The Shock finished the next season with a 25–9 record and defeated the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Sparks in the 2003 WNBA Finals. Detroit became the first team in league history to go from last place one season to WNBA champions the next season.

After a couple of seasons of losing in the first round of the playoffs, the Detroit Shock returned to success and appeared in three straight finals from 2006 to 2008. They won the WNBA championship in 2006 over the Sacramento Monarchs and 2008 over the San Antonio Silver Stars, but lost to the Phoenix Mercury in 2007.

Tulsa had been mentioned as a possible future city for WNBA expansion, but efforts did not come together until the middle of 2009. An organizing committee with Tulsa businesspeople and politicians began the effort to attract an expansion team. The group was originally given a September 1 deadline, but WNBA President Donna Orender extended that deadline into October. The investment group hired former University of Arkansas head coach Nolan Richardson as the potential franchise general manager and head coach, and on October 15, 2009, the group made its official request to join the league.

On October 20, 2009, WNBA President Donna Orender, lead investors Bill Cameron and David Box, Tulsa mayor Kathy Taylor, Oklahoma governor Brad Henry, and head coach Nolan Richardson were present for a press conference announcing that the Detroit Shock would relocate to Tulsa. On January 23, 2010, the franchise announced that the team would remain as the Shock, but their colors were changed to black, red, and gold.

On July 20, 2015, majority owner Bill Cameron announced he was moving the team to Dallas-Fort Worth.

On July 23, 2015, WNBA league owners unanimously approved the Tulsa Shock's relocation to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to play out of the College Park Center at the University of Texas at Arlington. College Park Center is also home to the UT Arlington Mavericks basketball and volleyball teams. At a press conference at College Park Center on November 2, 2015, the team was announced to be renamed the Dallas Wings. Uniforms were revealed at the First Annual Wings Draft Party on April 14, 2016. The light uniforms were primarily lime green, while the dark uniforms were predominantly blue. As a result of a league-wide initiative for its 20th season, all games featured all-color uniform matchups, thus no white uniforms were unveiled for this season.

The team began their first season as the Dallas Wings on May 14, 2016, following two pre-season losses, with a 90–79 victory over the Indiana Fever. The team played its first home game in Dallas on May 21, defeating in-state rivals San Antonio Stars 82–77 in front of a sell-out crowd. The game was highlighted by Irving native Odyssey Sims, who led all scorers with 23 points and would go on to finish the season as the team’s leading scorer, averaging 14.0 points per game. Despite a promising 3–1 start—even in the absence of star guard Skylar Diggins, who was recovering from an ACL injury—the Wings struggled with inconsistency throughout the season. After dropping six straight games following their strong start, Diggins' return to the lineup helped spark a four-game winning streak in June. However, the momentum was short-lived, and the team posted a 2–9 record from June 25 onward. Plagued by injuries, the Wings had a full roster available for only 12 of their 34 games. Ultimately, Dallas finished the season with a 11–23 record, placing fifth in the Western Conference and missing the playoffs by a significant margin—marking a downturn compared to their final season in Tulsa.

Ahead of the season, on April 11, 2017, it was announced that Mary O’Connor had stepped down as president and CEO of the Dallas Wings, less than a year after assuming the role. General Manager Greg Bibb took over O’Connor’s responsibilities. The Wings opened the regular season on May 14 and posted an even 8–8 record through May and June. Although they endured a difficult July (3–6), the team rebounded in August with a 5–3 performance, securing a playoff berth on August 31 with a 99–96 win over the Chicago Sky. Finishing the regular season at 16–18, the Wings entered the playoffs as the 7th seed but were eliminated in the first round by the Washington Mystics, 86–76, on September 6. Led by All-Star guard Skylar Diggins-Smith and forward Glory Johnson, the Wings featured the youngest roster in the league but still managed to exceed expectations. On September 19, Allisha Gray was named the 2017 WNBA Rookie of the Year, becoming the second player in franchise history to earn the honor, joining Cheryl Ford, who won the award in 2003 with the Detroit Shock.

On February 5, 2018, the team announced the return of Australian center Liz Cambage, who signed a multiyear contract with the franchise that drafted her second overall in 2011. The season tipped off on May 18 with a 86–78 loss to the Phoenix Mercury. The Wings had a mixed start, going 2–3 in May and 5–4 in June, with six of their seven early-season losses coming against eventual playoff teams. On July 17, Cambage set a new WNBA single-game scoring record with 53 points in a 104–87 win over the New York Liberty, surpassing the previous mark of 51 points set by Riquna Williams during her time with the Tulsa Shock. Dallas posted a 8–5 record in July, including a dominant stretch in which they won seven out of eight games. However, three straight losses at the end of the month marked the start of a nine-game losing streak. Amid this losing streak, the team made a major coaching change. On August 12, head coach Fred Williams was relieved of his duties following a reported altercation with CEO Greg Bibb after a loss to the Washington Mystics. Assistant coach Taj McWilliams-Franklin was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season, leading the team to a 1–2 record over the final three games. Despite a 1–7 record in August, the Wings secured a crucial win over the Las Vegas Aces, clinching the 8th and final playoff spot by a one-game margin. Dallas ended the regular season with a 15–19 record and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Phoenix Mercury, 101–83. On December 18, the Wings announced the hiring of two-time WNBA champion Brian Agler as the team’s new head coach. Agler, who had recently stepped down from the Los Angeles Sparks after leading them to the 2016 WNBA Championship and two Finals appearances, joined Dallas with more victories than any other coach in U.S. women’s professional basketball history.

On May 16, 2019, the team traded star center Liz Cambage to the Las Vegas Aces in exchange for guard Moriah Jefferson and forward Isabelle Harrison. Additionally, All-Star guard Skylar Diggins-Smith missed the entire season due to childbirth, leaving the Wings without their two leading players from the previous year. The season began on May 24 with a 77–72 loss to the Atlanta Dream and started with a five-game losing streak. The team showed signs of improvement in June, winning four of their next six games to close the month with a 4–7 record. However, July proved challenging, as the Wings posted a 1–8 record, with their only win coming on July 9 against the Los Angeles Sparks. Dallas slightly improved in August, going 5–6, but ended the season on a four-game losing streak. They finished with a 10–24 record, their worst since relocating to Dallas in 2016 and their lowest win total since 2012. The absence of Cambage and Diggins-Smith led to a decline in team production. Despite this, rookie guard Arike Ogunbowale averaged the third-most points per game in the league and finished second in total points (630). She set WNBA rookie records with 11 consecutive games of 20 or more points and four straight games of 30 or more points. Ogunbowale also tied a franchise record with 18 games of at least 20 points and recorded a season-high 35 points on two occasions—becoming the only rookie in league history to do so twice. Her breakout performance established her as one of the league’s rising stars and a foundational piece for the Wings’ future.

On February 12, 2020, the Wings traded star guard Skylar Diggins-Smith to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for the 5th and 7th overall picks in the 2020 WNBA Draft, as well as a 2021 first-round pick. The latter was later traded to the Chicago Sky in exchange for center Astou Ndour. Originally scheduled to feature a record-high 36 regular-season games, the WNBA season was postponed on April 3 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A revised plan was approved on June 15, with the league holding a shortened 22-game season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, without fans in attendance. The Wings opened their season on July 26 with a 105–95 loss to the Atlanta Dream. The team started the season competitively, winning two of their first three games. However, they soon entered a slump, suffering two separate three-game losing streaks that were interrupted by only a single win. The team recovered slightly, finishing August with a 3–3 record and holding a 6–10 mark overall. In September, the Wings went 2–4 but closed the season with a victory, ending the year with a 8–14 record and missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Despite the losing record, second-year guard Arike Ogunbowale led the WNBA in scoring with 22.8 points per game and was named to the All-WNBA First Team. Following the conclusion of the season, on October 14, it was announced that Wings had mutually agreed to part ways with head coach Brian Agler after two seasons at the helm. On December 9, the Wings hired two-time All-Star Vickie Johnson as the new head coach; she previously served as an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces, where she helped guide the team to the best record in the WNBA.

In the 2021 WNBA Draft, the Wings made history becoming the first team to hold both the first and second overall picks in the same draft. They selected Texas center Charli Collier with the No. 1 pick, international standout Awak Kuier at No. 2, and Arkansas guard Chelsea Dungee with the No. 5 pick. The Wings opened their season on May 14 with a 94–71 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks but struggled to maintain momentum, losing the next four games and finishing May with a 1–4 record. The team rebounded in June with a 7–5 record, highlighted by road wins against the Seattle Storm and a two-game sweep of the Phoenix Mercury. However, inconsistency returned in July as the Wings went 1–3, including three straight losses entering the Olympic break with a 9–12 overall record. Following the break, the Wings continued to battle inconsistency, going 2–3 in August while alternating wins and losses. They closed the regular season with a 3–3 mark in September, securing a playoff berth with a narrow 77–76 victory over the New York Liberty on September 11. The Wings finished the regular season at 14–18, earning the 7th seed and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2018 despite dealing with injuries, inconsistency, and a learning curve for their rookies. In the first round of the playoffs, the Wings were eliminated by the eventual WNBA champions, the Chicago Sky, in a 81–64 loss.

The 2022 season began on May 7 with a 66–59 loss to the Atlanta Dream, but the Wings responded with back-to-back wins. After losing the fourth game of the season, Dallas went on a three-game winning streak before closing the month with two losses, finishing May with a 5–4 record. June was more challenging, as the team faced Las Vegas and Seattle in five of their first six games, going 1–4 in that stretch. They closed the month with a 3–3 run to post a 4–7 record in June. In July, every loss was followed by a win, except for two straight losses to Chicago, finishing the month 4–5. Dallas gained momentum in August, opening the month with four straight victories to clinch a playoff berth. On August 12, the team announced that leading scorer Arike Ogunbowale would miss the remainder of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs after undergoing iliac crest core muscle avulsion repair. The Wings finished the regular season 5–2 in her absence and closed the year at 18–18, securing the 6th seed in the playoffs. Their 18 wins were the most in a season since the team relocated to Dallas and matched their franchise-high last achieved in 2015 as the Tulsa Shock. In the first round of the playoffs, Dallas faced the third-seeded Connecticut Sun in a best-of-three series. After dropping Game 1 in Connecticut by 25 points (93–68), the Wings responded with a 10-point win (89–79) in Game 2 to force a decisive Game 3 in Dallas. However, the Wings struggled, scoring a season-low 58 points in a 73–58 loss that ended their playoff run. On September 19, the organization announced that it would not renew the contract of head coach Vickie Johnson. On November 7, the Wings named Los Angeles Sparks assistant coach Latricia Trammell as the team’s next head coach.

The 2023 season began on a strong note, with the Wings winning their first two games and finishing May with a 3–1 record. However, momentum slowed in June, where the team lost its first two games before recovering with two wins. A subsequent three-game losing streak and a mixed finish resulted in a 4–7 record for the month, with three of those victories coming against the Phoenix Mercury. July saw a dramatic turnaround as the Wings won six of their first seven games, including a notable win over the Las Vegas Aces—only the second team to defeat the eventual top seed at that point in the season. Despite losing two of their final three games, Dallas closed the month with a 7–3 record. August was more inconsistent, ending with a 5–5 record. The team began September with a 110–100 victory over the Indiana Fever, clinching a playoff spot, and finished the month with a 3–2 record. Under first-year head coach Latricia Trammell, the Wings completed the regular season with a 22–18 record, earning the fourth seed in the playoffs. The 22 wins were the most in franchise history since relocating to Dallas and the highest overall since the 2008 season, when the franchise was still based in Detroit. In the first round of the playoffs, the Wings faced fifth seed Atlanta Dream, Dallas rallied from a 20-point deficit to win Game 1 and controlled Game 2 from start to finish, securing the franchise’s first playoff series win since 2009. In the semifinals, Dallas faced the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces in a best-of-five series. Game 1 was competitive early, with the Wings trailing by just four points at halftime before the Aces pulled away in the third quarter for a 91–84 win. In Game 2, Dallas staged a late comeback that ultimately fell short, losing 91–84 once again. Returning home for Game 3, the Wings led by five at halftime but were outscored in the second half, falling 64–61 and ending their season. Statistically, the Wings made significant strides in both offensive and defensive efficiency, leading the WNBA in rebounding and finishing second in total field goals made, trailing only Las Vegas. Forward Satou Sabally was named the Most Improved Player after posting career highs across the board, averaging 18.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. She also earned a spot on the All-WNBA First Team.

On February 20, 2024, the Wings announced that forward Satou Sabally underwent a shoulder procedure after sustaining an injury while representing Germany at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Dallas opened the regular season on May 15 with an 87–79 win against the Chicago Sky and finished the month with a 3–3 record. However, the team unraveled in June, beginning an 11-game losing streak that stretched through nearly the entire month. While they forced an overtime game against the Phoenix Mercury on June 9, none of the other June losses were decided by fewer than five points. The Wings finally broke the streak with a win over the Minnesota Lynx on June 27 but ended the month 1–11. July provided little relief. After two more losses to begin the month, Dallas secured a narrow win over the Atlanta Dream but then dropped three more games before closing the month with a victory against the Indiana Fever. The Wings entered the Olympic break with a 6–19 record. Sabally returned following the break, but the team lost its first three games before stringing together a three-game winning streak to close out August—highlighted by an 18-point win over the Lynx on August 31. The momentum quickly faded in September. The Wings lost all nine of their final games, though they managed to force overtime in a close contest against the Dream on September 6 and lost by just two points to the Seattle Storm on September 13. They finished the season with a 9–31 record—just one game ahead of the Los Angeles Sparks to avoid last place. Their .225 winning percentage was the franchise’s worst since 2011. Defensively, Dallas struggled throughout the year, posting a league-worst defensive rating of 111.7—the worst in the WNBA since the 2020 Indiana Fever. Injuries and instability undermined any continuity, and the Wings fell from semifinalists in 2023 to the bottom tier of the standings in 2024.

Ahead of the 2025 season, the Dallas Wings underwent significant changes to their coaching staff and front office. On October 18, 2024, the team announced the dismissal of head coach Latricia Trammell after two seasons. This was followed by the hiring of Curt Miller as Executive Vice President and General Manager on November 8. Miller previously served as head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks and held dual roles as head coach and general manager with the Connecticut Sun. On December 23, Chris Koclanes was named head coach, bringing more than a decade of assistant coaching experience at the WNBA and collegiate levels. On January 13, 2025, Camille Smith and Nola Henry—both assistant coaches under Miller in Los Angeles—were named assistant coaches in Dallas. The organization also announced several additional promotions and staff changes across its bench, front office, and support staff.

On April 14, the Wings selected UConn guard Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Bueckers, widely regarded as a generational talent, had just led the Huskies to their 12th NCAA Championship eight days earlier. The Wings opened the season on May 16 with a 99–84 loss to the Minnesota Lynx and struggled out of the gate, losing their first four games. Their first win came on May 27 in a 109–87 victory over the Connecticut Sun, and they finished May with a 1–6 record. June began with five straight losses before the Wings briefly stabilized, finishing the month with a 4–7 record. However, the roster was soon hit by significant setbacks. On June 5, centers Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsöder were announced to be temporarily suspended while participating in the 2025 FIBA Women’s EuroBasket for Türkiye and Germany, respectively. On June 10, Tyasha Harris was ruled out for the season following knee surgery, and on June 16, Maddy Siegrist was diagnosed with a tibial plateau fracture in her right knee. Although surgery was not required, she would miss more than a month before returning on August 1. The struggles continued into July, where Dallas posted a 3–7 record. August proved even more difficult, as the team went 1–11 during the month, with their sole victory coming in a narrow 81–80 win over the Indiana Fever. Despite the team’s poor overall performance, Bueckers delivered a historic individual effort on August 20, scoring 44 points in a one-point loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. Her performance set a WNBA rookie record and was the highest single-game point total by any player in the 2025 regular season. She also became the only player in league history to score 40 or more points while shooting 80% from the field. In late August, ahead of a road game against the Atlanta Dream, the Wings were nearly unable to meet the WNBA minimum requirement of eight active players due to several injuries. To avoid that they signed guard Christyn Williams to an extreme hardship contract and re-signed forward Amy Okonkwo to another hardship contract. Dallas extended its losing streak into September, losing ten straight games before closing out the regular season with a 97–76 win over the Phoenix Mercury. That final game featured a milestone: rookies Bueckers, Okonkwo, and Aziaha James each scored 20 or more points, becoming the first rookie trio in WNBA history to accomplish that in a single game. Earlier that month, in a loss to the Golden State Valkyries, Bueckers became the franchise’s rookie scoring leader, surpassing Arike Ogunbowale’s previous record of 630 points.

The Wings finished the season with a 10–34 record, falling to last place in league standings. Between injuries, international commitments and ongoing roster instability, Dallas tied the WNBA record for most players to appear in a single season (21) and also matched the league record for most different starting lineups in a season with 18, joining five other franchises in that distinction. Despite the dismal team performance, Bueckers was a major bright spot and quickly established herself as a star. She was named WNBA Rookie of the Year, broke multiple league and franchise rookie records, and became the only player in the season to rank in the league's top ten in points, assists, and steals per game. With her at the helm, Dallas has a promising foundation to build upon, even after back-to-back seasons at the bottom of the standings.