Paige Bueckers made sure to get one last appearance as a member of the UConn women's basketball team before turning pro. The projected No. 1 overall pick traveled to Hartford for the Huskies' national championship victory parade and rally a day before the 2025 WNBA Draft takes place in New York City.

The parade was shifted from Saturday to Sunday due to heavy rain, but Bueckers and loyal fans still turned out to cheer for UConn's 12th national championship win. The Huskies ended their nine-year title drought exactly a week earlier with a dominating 82-59 victory over the then-reigning champs, South Carolina.

Bueckers also addressed the crowd with a speech during the celebration, starting by thanking the coaches and staff that helped along her journey.

“It's an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the whole entire journey, the entire five years that I've been here,” Bueckers began. “This place is a second home to me. I'm forever indebted to you guys. We are all forever indebted to you guys.”

Bueckers went on to detail the squad's journey to the goal they shared and how she feels about her teammates.

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“This team is special. Obviously, we had our ups and downs, same as everybody else,” Bueckers said. “But as soon as the tournament started, we had this confident, light vibe to us.”

Bueckers then spoke about what the Huskies pulled on to power themselves to the national title. “We just felt like something was different,” she concluded. “Obviously, just how connected we were and the power of friendship, like we all talk about, definitely fueled us.”

The reported 20,000 fans who showed up had plenty to root for. Claiming this year's national title made the UConn women's basketball team the winningest college program in NCAA basketball history. The Huskies were previously tied with the UCLA men's team for the all-time most championships at 11 before toppling the Gamecocks.

Bueckers will have another busy day on her schedule Monday as she prepares to hear her name called during the 2025 WNBA Draft.