When the 2025 WNBA Draft rolls around, UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick. But before she even sets foot in the WNBA, she will be playing in another professional basketball league. It was announced on Friday that Paige Bueckers will suit up in the new Unrivaled basketball league and she took to social media to give her thoughts on the move.
“Blessed and grateful to be a part of this amazing league,” Bueckers posted on social media. “To take an active role in the growth of women's sports is a dream come true. Excited for the future, it's just the beginning!”
The new Unrivaled league will be a 3×3 basketball league and will serve as an alternative to WNBA players going overseas to play during the WNBA offseason. The league is founded by New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx star Napeheesa Collier.
So far, the players confirmed to take part in the league are Kahleah Copper, Angel Reese, Kelsey Plum, Arise Ogunbowale, Jackie Young, Rhyne Howard, Jewell Loyd and Chelsea Gray. The league is set to take place in Miami, Florida and is set to tip-off in January 2025 which is prime WNBA offseason time.
But the announcement of Paige Bueckers to join Unrivaled is significant in that this is the first current non-WNBA player who has committed to the league.
Paige Bueckers has unfinished business at UConn before the WNBA
When Paige Bueckers joins Unrivaled though, it will be after the 2024 WNBA Draft. Bueckers is currently the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick. Bueckers had the opportunity to be in the 2024 WNBA Draft, but opted to return to UConn for her extra year of eligibility.
Bueckers has been one of the top players in college basketball, but the one thing that has eluded her to this point is an NCAA championship. Last season, UConn reached the Final Four before being eliminated by Iowa. Bueckers has also made a remarkable recover from multiple injuries.
This past season, she appeared in 39 games at a little over 31 minutes per game. She averaged a career-best 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.4 blocked shots with splits of 53 percent shooting from the field, 41.6 percent shooting from the three-point line and 83.4 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
At the Olympic break, the WNBA teams that currently have the best odds at getting the No. 1 pick and potentially drafting Bueckers are the Dallas Wings, the Washington Mystics, the Los Angeles Sparks and the Atlanta Dream.
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