Vincent Frank
UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers is likely going to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. The 5-foot-11 Minnesota native has been absolutely brilliant in three seasons with the Huskies.
She’s a three-time NCAA All-Tournament performer, has earned Associated Press First-Team All-American honors twice and won the Naismith National Player of the Year award as a freshman back in 2020-21.
Bueckers is already popular within the confines of the growing women’s basketball game. Whether her star appeal will rival that of current Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark remains to be seen. But Bueckers is now putting herself in position to earn that cash.
Related: Fans Troll Team USA At Summer Olympics Over Caitlin Clark Snub
Paige Bueckers Signs Historic NIL Deal With Professional Basketball League
According to Shams Charania, Bueckers has signed on the dotted line with an upstart women’s professional basketball league by the name of “Unrivaled.”
“UConn’s Paige Bueckers is signing an NIL deal with the new women’s basketball league Unrivaled that makes her the first NCAA athlete to receive ownership equity in a league. Bueckers is expected to play in Unrivaled, along with the WNBA, after her college career is over,” report on Bueckers.
“With a 10-15 percent ownership pool for players, Unrivaled has been aggressive with pursuit of WNBA stars by offering highest average salaries in women’s sports history. League cap for the 30 players will be at least $7.5 million, an average of $250,000.”
Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) has become a major story surrounding college sports since the United States Supreme Court ruled that amateur athletes should be paid for their likeness.
As for this deal, it’s absolutely huge in the grand scheme of things. An average salary of $250,000 is far more than what the average WNBA player earns.
In fact, Clark signed a mere four-year, $338,000 deal after Indiana made her the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.