On April 6, University of Connecticut basketball player Paige Bueckers achieved what she set out to do when she joined the team almost five years ago: Win an NCAA championship. After being sidelined by injuries for nearly two seasons, Bueckers, a 23-year-old point guard, led the Huskies to a blowout victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks, earning UConn its 12th NCAA women’s basketball title and becoming the school’s top point scorer in the women’s tournament in the process.
For some, the win would be a star-making moment. But Bueckers — whom the Dallas Wings are expected to select first overall in the 2025 WNBA draft Monday — was already a star by then, both on and off the court.
In December, she became the first college athlete to have her own Nike player-edition shoe, the Paige Bueckers G.T. Hustle 3. She was also the first college athlete to sign a name, image and likeness deal with Gatorade. According to on3 and SponsorUnited, both of which track sponsorship and other deals for college athletes, Bueckers is the third most valuable woman in college sports, has the second largest social media following and the highest engagement from her followers.
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