When the UConn Huskies took on Louisville in their 2025-26 season opener, they had a rather famous fan in the crowd in WNBA star Paige Bueckers. Bueckers, who just completed her rookie season in the WNBA with the Dallas Wings, was on hand supporting her alma mater as they look to defend their national championship.
But during a segment with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, Bueckers admitted that it felt a little bit weird to be at a UConn game, not as a player but as a fan.
“Definitely weird, definitely like surreal feeling of just being in a different position watching from a different perspective, not being yelled at when a UConn game is on,” Bueckers said. “It’s whole different vibes, but I’m very exited to be here and very excited to watch from this perspective.”
Before she was off to the WNBA, Paige Bueckers played four seasons at UConn, helping lead the program to a national championship in 2024-25. During her time with the Huskies, she appeared in a total of 123 games at just about 32 minutes per game. She holds career averages of 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals with splits of 53.1 percent shooting from the field, 42.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 85 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
By the time Bueckers was entering her last season at UConn, she was widely considered a potential franchise player and the probable top pick in the WNBA Draft. Sure enough, the Wings selected her with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Bueckers churned out a historic rookie season en route to winning the 2025 Rookie of the Year Award and making her first All-Star appearance. She appeared in a total of 36 games at a little over 33 minutes per game. She averaged 19.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals with splits of 47.7 percent shooting from the field, 33.1 percent shooting from the three-point line and 88.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
