Wings' Paige Bueckers has best reaction to viral tweet from her very first supporter

Drew Bishop

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Wings' Paige Bueckers has best reaction to viral tweet from her very first supporter image

Do you remember when you first realized Paige Bueckers was going to be something special?

No matter how early it was, you probably weren't the first.

That honor goes to one local journalist by the name of Gary Knox. 

The photographer and writer based out of Minnesota went viral for a tweet from 2013 when he hailed Bueckers as the next Diana Taurasi. 

She was in 6th grade. 

After Bueckers gained steam as a superstar at UConn, Knox's tweet blew up with people marveling at the prediction from over a decade ago.

The moment came full circle when Bueckers was asked about Knox's viral tweet and what it meant to her.

She referred to him as "the originator" a title reserved for the man who first saw greatness at an open gym at Hopkins High School.

It's a heartwarming tribute to small-town journalism. Knox, who according to his 'X' bio still covers high school basketball in Minnesota, was overjoyed with Bueckers' comments and posted a response on social media.

In a world where social media is often used as a tool to spread negativity, this story shows the bright side of the Internet. Knox saw something special in that gym and had the platform to share it.

Fast forward 12 years and the local journalist and basketball icon are forever linked all because of one post on social media. 

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Drew Bishop

Drew Bishop is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. After graduating from the Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University, he worked in local media in Sandusky, Ohio at BCSN and the Sandusky Register, freelancing as a reporter, broadcast director and play-by-play commentator for high school sports. He then moved on to KRIS 6 News where he serves as a producer in the news department.