Paige Bueckers signs with Unrivaled Basketball: UConn star is first NCAA athlete to receive equity in league

The presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft is already broadening her professional basketball horizons

By Isabel Gonzalez

Aug 1, 2024 at 1:08 pm ET • 1 min read

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UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers is signing an NIL deal with the new Unrivaled Basketball League, Shams Charania reported Thursday. She is expected to play for both the WNBA and Unrivaled when she graduates.

Unrivaled will debut January 2025 in Miami. Bueckers is playing one more college basketball season and will not be available until that spring, which means her debut will likely happen in 2026. However, she is still expected to get a piece of the pie, which would make her the first active NCAA athlete to receive equity in a pro sports league.

Unrivaled is a 3v3 women's basketball league founded by UConn legends Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier to give players an incentive to play in the United States during the WNBA offseason. It will feature six teams with five players on each squad. So far, 10 out of 30 players have been announced. One of the unique aspects of it is that all 30 initial players will receive equity ownership.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma is one of the investors, along with former NBA players Carmelo Anthony and Steve Nash, as well as soccer stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe.

Bueckers began her career as a strong offensive player with a high basketball IQ, high-level passing and ability to score from anywhere. However, her stock went up last season as she got physically stronger and started proving herself on the defensive end. WNBA fans are already excited for the future with her in the league, but they will have to wait a little longer.

UConn star Paige Bueckers is here and the crowd is very excited. Next year’s No. 1 pick? pic.twitter.com/fLzPdDakry
— Isabel Gonzalez (@cisabelg) July 21, 2024

Bueckers started turning heads during her freshman year, when she received 11 major honors while becoming the first freshman to earn the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, AP Player of the Year and USBWA Player of the Year.

Her career was promising from the start, but injuries have held her back. Bueckers sat out the entire 2022-23 campaign due to a torn ACL then bounced back this past season by leading the Huskies to their 15th Final Four in 16 years. She decided to return for a fifth year, which will help UConn be one of the most promising teams for the 2024-25 season -- if the Huskies can stay healthy.