Latest news with #PaigeBueckersG.T.Hustle3
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Who is Paige Bueckers? Dallas Wings select UConn star with No. 1 pick in 2025 WNBA draft
Who is Paige Bueckers? Dallas Wings select UConn star with No. 1 pick in 2025 WNBA draft After a 9-31 finish to the 2024 WNBA season, the Dallas Wings could be on the right path with their No. 1 pick selecting UConn's Paige Bueckers in Monday's WNBA draft. Many legendary players have come out of UConn to have long, prosperous careers in the pros. Advertisement The 23-year-old guard is the sixth UConn player to be drafted No. 1 overall in the draft's 30th edition, following Sue Bird (2002, Seattle), Diana Taurasi (2004, Phoenix), Tina Charles (2010, Connecticut), Maya Moore (2011, Minnesota) and Breanna Stewart (2016, Seattle). Bueckers led the UConn Huskies to their first national championship in eight years this past women's college basketball season. Here is what to know about the No. 1 draft pick coming to Texas. Who is Paige Bueckers? Bueckers is a three-time first-team AP All-American. Last season, she averaged 19.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. She also has several sponsorships to her name including deals with Gatorade, Bose, Dunkin' Donuts, Verizon and Nike, where she has her own signature shoe called the Paige Bueckers G.T. Hustle 3 — becoming the first college athlete under the new name, image, and likeness rules to design and release a Nike basketball shoe. What did Paige Bueckers say at the WNBA draft? During the draft, Bueckers was complimentary to her Huskies teammates, coming off a championship season. Advertisement "They mean everything to me, all they've helped me get through, all the ups and downs, the highs and lows, they've seen every side of me, and the love there is unconditional, so forever grateful for them," Bueckers said. "I want to cherish that relationship for the rest of my life, and I wouldn't be here without them. I just want to show a state of gratitude to them." How long did Bueckers play in college? Paige Bueckers played college basketball at UConn from 2020 to 2025. Her journey was filled with highs and lows. She missed her entire junior year due to an ACL injury. This year, she and the UConn Huskies won a national championship, defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks with a score of 82-59. What did basketball fans say about Paige Bueckers? Hoop fans shared their excitement for Bueckers going No. 1 in the draft. Here is what fans on social media said: USA TODAY Network reporter Scooby Axson contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Who is Paige Bueckers? No. 1 pick in 2025 WNBA draft by Dallas Wings
USA Today
14-04-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Dallas Wings select UConn star Paige Bueckers with No. 1 pick in 2025 WNBA Draft
Dallas Wings select UConn star Paige Bueckers with No. 1 pick in 2025 WNBA Draft Show Caption Hide Caption Paige Bueckers selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings It comes as no surprise, but UConn national champion Paige Bueckers has been selected No.1 overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings. Sports Pulse NEW YORK — Paige Bueckers, who overcame two serious knee injuries during her career at Connecticut and ultimately led the Huskies to their first national championship in eight years, was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings on Monday night. The 23-year-old guard is the sixth UConn player to be drafted No. 1 overall in the draft's 30th edition, following Sue Bird (2002, Seattle), Diana Taurasi (2004, Phoenix), Tina Charles (2010, Connecticut), Maya Moore (2011, Minnesota) and Breanna Stewart (2016, Seattle). Bueckers, a three-time first-team AP All-American, is not only a walking bucket — she averaged 19.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists last season — but she is a walking advertisement with some of the nation's most recognizable brand names vying for her services. She already has endorsement deals with Gatorade, Bose, Dunkin' Donuts, Verizon and Nike, where she has her own signature shoe called the Paige Bueckers G.T. Hustle 3, becoming the first college athlete under the new name, image, and likeness rules to design and release a Nike basketball shoe. WNBA DRAFT: Picks, selections and updates from 2025 draft Stardom has been destined for Bueckers since she laced up sneakers for Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and by the time she left in 2020, she had a high school championship and was named the Gatorade National and Naismith Prep Player of the Year. "Paige Buckets" didn't stop once she stepped foot on the Storrs campus, leading UConn to the Final Four her freshman season and winning AP Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year, and the Wooden Award after averaging 20 points, 5.8 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. But the momentum quickly stopped after she had ankle surgery before her sophomore year and had surgery to repair a tibial plateau fracture and a lateral meniscus tear in her left knee during the season. She returned to action, but UConn fell to South Carolina in the national championship game. Before the 2022 season, Bueckers tore the ACL in her left knee, wiping out her junior season. "It was a journey of resilience, of overcoming adversity,' Bueckers said last week, according to the Associated Press. 'I wouldn't trade it for the world just because it became such a beautiful story and a remarkable journey of ups and downs, highs and lows, of keeping the faith, of working extremely hard, and I really wouldn't trade it.' Her five years in college prepared her for professional basketball as she joins a league with young stars, such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Since Dallas won the draft lottery last November, the Wings have been preparing for change. Teams are no longer waiting around to develop players. They want to compete for championships now as a future of uncertainty looms as the players have already opted out of the league's current collective bargaining agreement, which expires Oct. 31, despite a new 11-year media rights deal, worth $2.2 billion, set to commence at the start of the 2026 season. Dallas was one of four WNBA teams that replaced their head coaches during the offseason, as Latricia Trammell was replaced with Chris Koclanes after the Wings finished 9-31 after making the second round of the playoffs the season before Former Los Angeles Sparks coach Curt Miller was named the Wings' executive vice president and general manager, and job one is to replace massive holes in the roster. Former All-WNBA performer Satou Sabally was traded to the Phoenix Mercury in a four-team deal, and Natasha Howard signed with the Fever in free agency, leaving the team to rebuild around All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale, who averaged 22.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.1 steals per game last season. DiJonai Carrington, Ty Harris, and NaLyssa Smith signed with Dallas during the offseason, adding a much-needed veteran presence to go along with returnees guard Maddy Siegrist and center Teaira McCowan. 'All of us are looking to add dawgs to our locker room,' Miller said. Those "dawgs" will have to start on the defensive end, where the Wings allowed a league-worst 92.1 points per game on nearly 48% shooting. With Bueckers on the roster for the new-look Wings, the mission might have been accomplished.
Japan Times
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Paige Bueckers: A basketball star Is born
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. "It's so surreal,' Bueckers said of UConn's championship win in an interview Wednesday. "It hasn't really sunk in yet.' She was dressed in a lavender Nike sweatsuit, and her long vanilla-blond hair was neatly cascading down her back. Earlier that day, she had been interviewed on the "Today' show; later, Bueckers would head to a taping of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.' "It's like working on good fumes right now,' she said. "You're so amped up and so excited based on what just happened.' She added that she did not want the attention she had received this season to overshadow the success of the Huskies as a team and of players such as Sarah Strong, a freshman UConn forward who scored 22 points and had 15 rebounds in the final against South Carolina. Bueckers' profile has risen amid a significant era for women's basketball. Last year's NCAA women's tournament received more viewers than the men's tournament did, and the WNBA's regular season in 2024 surged in viewership compared with previous years' audiences. The sport's growth has been driven in part by other star newcomers such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, but Bueckers' success has also stood out. Nobody Beats Her 'Rizz' Fans and former coaches alike say that is partly because of her "rizz' — or charisma — a quality palpable in her on-court appearances. It is also evident in the TikTok videos of Bueckers and her teammates dancing, which often travel far and wide, and in her off-court style, which is the subject of dedicated fan accounts on Instagram. Her confidence comes partly from her faith, Bueckers said on a video call in March, a couple weeks before the NCAA final. It was a rest day for the Huskies, and she had slept until 11 a.m. She had gone to a sauna and shot 100 free throws before the call; afterward, she had a massage appointment. Bueckers, who grew up outside Minneapolis, described her faith as a major part of her identity, which has also been shaped by her family. Her parents, Amy Dettbarn and Bob Bueckers, divorced when she was a toddler, and Bueckers was raised mostly by her father. She has three half siblings, including a 12-year-old half brother, Drew, whose mother is Black. "Drew doesn't leave her hip,' Bob Bueckers said figuratively, adding that Paige Bueckers had been a role model to all of her siblings. Bueckers was raised Catholic but now attends a church that she characterized as nondenominational. Her faith, she explained, has helped her be more decisive. "I know that whatever decision I'm going to make is going to be the right one, and it's going to turn out the right way,' she said. Has Bueckers, who works with stylist Brittany Hampton, decided on a look for Monday's WNBA draft? In fact, Hampton said, Bueckers is planning to wear several. "Her draft day is her opulence moment,' the stylist said. "It's going to be power dressing for sure.' Hampton, 36, said to expect "liquid rhinestone cascades,' "embellishments' and "bold elegance.' For last year's draft, which Bueckers attended as the guest of former UConn teammates, she wore a Louis Vuitton ensemble of a white vest, shirt and trousers. A TikTok video of her showing it off received comments including "GIRL GOT DRIPPP,' "The fit is GIVINGGG' and "Paige A Whole Vibe.' Those types of reactions are what Bueckers aims for with her style. "It gets people thinking, like, 'What is this girl doing?'' she said. "And that's what fashion is all about.' She takes inspiration from WNBA players such as Natasha Cloud, Kahleah Copper and Sue Bird, who recently retired. "They're all people who have their own sense of fashion, and they're not conformed to anything that society thinks they should be,' Bueckers said. "They can wear heels one day, and loafers or sneakers the next.' Being fluid like that is important to Bueckers, whose style has been covered by both Vogue and GQ. "I want to be here, be there, be everywhere,' as she put it. "Masculine, feminine, crop tops, baggy clothes. I don't want to put myself in a box.' Nor does she want others to. "Why do women have to wear dresses?' she asked rhetorically. "I can dress like a boy if I want to. What even is dressing like a boy?' Bueckers' appetite for taking big fashion swings has a lot to do with her being "crazy confident' and "super swaggy,' Hampton said. When she is styling Bueckers, she added, her go-to brands include Gallery Department, Rhude, Nahmias and Acne Studios. Hampton has also introduced Bueckers to emerging designers, such as Kwame Adusei in Los Angeles, and has helped her develop an appreciation for luxury labels - and for good tailors. When Bueckers initially tried on the Louis Vuitton ensemble she wore to last year's WNBA draft, Hampton said, it had yet to be tailored. "She sent me photos,' Hampton recalled. "It was the funniest thing. It was just this massive suit. She looked like Steve Harvey in it.' Smooth On and Off the Court Connor Jordan, a college basketball fan, described Bueckers as having "steez,' a term for people whose style telegraphs as effortless and innate. Jordan, a 30-year-old fly fishing guide in Driggs, Idaho, said Bueckers had a similar smoothness on the court. "She's graceful to watch,' Jordan said. Mark Bodin, another basketball follower, described Bueckers' style of play as team-oriented and less aggressive than some of her peers'. "She doesn't antagonize,' he said. "She doesn't taunt anybody.' Both are reasons "she's so likable,' added Bodin, 62, who lives in Andover, Vermont, and is president of a regional bank. Tara Starks, who coached Bueckers' Amateur Athletic Union basketball team, has known her since she was a young teen. She pointed to Bueckers' appearance at the 2021 ESPY Awards as a breakout moment off the court. After receiving the award for best college athlete in women's sports, Bueckers, then 19 and a sophomore at UConn, mentioned in her acceptance speech how Black female athletes were overlooked. "They don't get the media coverage that they deserve,' she said onstage. "They've given so much to the sport, the community and society as a whole, and their value is undeniable.' Starks, who is Black, said the speech demonstrated how "special' Bueckers was and how she "doesn't necessarily care about what you or anybody else thinks.' Alyssa Williams, a 17-year-old high school basketball player in Nashville, Tennessee, remembered watching Bueckers at the ESPYs that night and, as a Black athlete, feeling seen. "Sometimes, we do get overlooked, and for her to have the courage to speak up about that made me happy,' Williams said. "I was like, 'Yeah, that's my Paige.'' Starks recalled another moment she observed Bueckers' confidence: at a barbecue in the backyard of Starks' home in Hopkins, Minnesota, when a 14-year-old Bueckers emphatically rapped every word of "Dreams and Nightmares' by Meek Mill, along with Starks' daughter and their friends. "Paige always thought she had more rhythm than anybody in the room,' Starks said. "She always thought she was fresh, and that's what makes her unique.' This article originally appeared in The New York Times © 2025 The New York Times Company
New York Times
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A Basketball Star Is Born
Last Sunday, the 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 N.C.A.A. championship. After being sidelined by injuries for nearly two seasons, Ms. Bueckers, a 23-year-old point guard, led the Huskies to a blowout victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks, earning UConn its 12th N.C.A.A. 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 Ms. Bueckers (pronounced BECK-ers) — whom the Dallas Wings are expected to select first overall in the 2025 W.N.B.A. draft on 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, Ms. Bueckers is the third most valuable woman in college sports, has the second largest social media following and the highest engagement from her followers. 'It's so surreal,' Ms. Bueckers said of UConn's championship win in an interview on Wednesday. 'It hasn't really sunk in yet.' She was dressed in a lavender Nike sweatsuit, and her long vanilla-blond hair was neatly cascading down her back. Earlier that day, she had been interviewed on the 'Today' show; later, Ms. Buckers would head to a taping of 'The Tonight Show' with Jimmy Fallon. 'It's like working on good fumes right now,' she said. 'You're so amped up and so excited based on what just happened.' She added that she did not want the attention she had received this season to overshadow the success of the Huskies as a team and of players like Sarah Strong, a freshman UConn forward who scored 22 points and had 15 rebounds in the final against South Carolina. Ms. Bueckers's profile has risen amid a significant era for women's basketball. Last year's N.C.A.A. women's tournament received more viewers than the men's tournament did, and the W.N.B.A's regular season in 2024 surged in viewership compared with previous years' audiences. The sport's growth has been driven in part by other star newcomers like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, but Ms. Bueckers's success has also stood out. Nobody Beats Her 'Rizz' Fans and former coaches alike say that is partly because of her 'rizz' — or charisma — a quality palpable in her on-court appearances. It is also evident in the TikTok videos of Ms. Bueckers and her teammates dancing, which often travel far and wide, and in her off-court style, which is the subject of dedicated fan accounts on Instagram. Her confidence comes partly from her faith, Ms. Bueckers said on a video call in March, a couple weeks before the N.C.A.A. final. It was a rest day for the Huskies, and she had slept until 11 a.m. that morning. She had gone to a sauna and shot 100 free throws before the call; afterward, she had a massage appointment. Ms. Bueckers, who grew up outside Minneapolis, described her faith as a major part of her identity, which has also been shaped by her family. Her parents, Amy Dettbarn and Bob Bueckers, divorced when she was a toddler, and Ms. Bueckers was raised mostly by her father. She has three half siblings, including a 12-year-old half brother, Drew, whose mother is Black. 'Drew doesn't leave her hip,' Mr. Bueckers said figuratively, adding that Ms. Bueckers had been a role model to all of her siblings. Ms. Bueckers was raised Catholic but now attends a church that she characterized as nondenominational. Her faith, she explained, has helped her be more decisive. 'I know that whatever decision I'm going to make is going to be the right one, and it's going to turn out the right way,' she said. Has Ms. Bueckers, who works with the stylist Brittany Hampton, decided on a look for Monday's W.N.B.A. draft? In fact, Ms. Hampton said, she is planning to wear several. 'Her draft day is her opulence moment,' the stylist said. 'It's going to be power dressing for sure.' Ms. Hampton, 36, said to expect 'liquid rhinestone cascades,' 'embellishments' and 'bold elegance.' For last year's draft, which Ms. Bueckers attended as the guest of former UConn teammates, she wore a Louis Vuitton ensemble of a white vest, shirt and trousers. A TikTok video of her showing it off received comments including 'GIRL GOT DRIPPP,' 'The fit is GIVINGGG' and 'Paige A Whole Vibe.' Those types of reactions are what Ms. Bueckers aims for with her style. 'It gets people thinking, like, 'What is this girl doing?'' she said. 'And that's what fashion is all about.' She takes inspiration from W.N.B.A. players like Natasha Cloud, Kahleah Copper, and Sue Bird, who recently retired. 'They're all people who have their own sense of fashion, and they're not conformed to anything that society thinks they should be,' Ms. Bueckers said. 'They can wear heels one day, and loafers or sneakers the next.' Being fluid like that is important to Ms. Bueckers, whose style has been covered by both Vogue and GQ. 'I want to be here, be there, be everywhere,' as she put it. 'Masculine, feminine, crop tops, baggy clothes. I don't want to put myself in a box.' Nor does she want others to. 'Why do women have to wear dresses?' she asked rhetorically. 'I can dress like a boy if I want to. What even is dressing like a boy?' Ms. Bueckers's appetite for taking big fashion swings has a lot to do with her being 'crazy confident' and 'super swaggy,' Ms. Hampton said. When she is styling Ms. Bueckers, she added, her go-to brands include Gallery Department, Rhude, Nahmias and Acne Studios. Ms. Hampton has also introduced Ms. Bueckers to emerging designers, like Kwame Adusei in Los Angeles, and has helped her develop an appreciation for luxury labels — and for good tailors. When Ms. Bueckers initially tried on the Louis Vuitton ensemble she wore to last year's W.N.B.A. draft, Ms. Hampton said, it had yet to be tailored. 'She sent me photos,' Ms. Hampton recalled. 'It was the funniest thing. It was just this massive suit. She looked like Steve Harvey in it.' Smooth On and Off the Court Connor Jordan, a college basketball fan, described Ms. Bueckers as having 'steez,' a term for people whose style telegraphs as effortless and innate. Ms. Jordan, a 30-year-old fly fishing guide in Driggs, Idaho, said Ms. Bueckers had a similar smoothness on the court. 'She's graceful to watch,' Ms. Jordan said. Mark Bodin, another basketball follower, described Ms. Bueckers's style of play as team-oriented and less aggressive than some of her peers'. 'She doesn't antagonize,' he said. 'She doesn't taunt anybody.' Both are reasons 'she's so likable,' added Mr. Bodin, 62, who lives in Andover, Vt., and is the president of a regional bank. Tara Starks, who coached Ms. Bueckers's Amateur Athletic Union basketball team, has known her since she was a young teen. She pointed to Ms. Bueckers's appearance at the 2021 ESPY Awards as a breakout moment off the court. After receiving the award for best college athlete in women's sports, Ms. Bueckers, then 19 and a sophomore at UConn, mentioned in her acceptance speech how Black female athletes were overlooked. 'They don't get the media coverage that they deserve,' she said onstage. 'They've given so much to the sport, the community and society as a whole, and their value is undeniable.' Ms. Starks, who is Black, said the speech demonstrated how 'special' Ms. Bueckers was and how she 'doesn't necessarily care about what you or anybody else thinks.' Alyssa Williams, a 17-year-old high school basketball player in Nashville, remembered watching Ms. Bueckers at the ESPYs that night and, as a Black athlete, feeling seen. 'Sometimes, we do get overlooked, and for her to have the courage to speak up about that made me happy,' Ms. Williams said. 'I was like, 'Yeah, that's my Paige.'' Ms. Starks recalled another moment she observed Ms. Bueckers's confidence: At a barbecue in the backyard of Ms. Starks's home in Hopkins, Minn., when a 14-year-old Ms. Bueckers emphatically rapped every word of 'Dreams and Nightmares' by Meek Mill, along with Ms. Starks's daughter and their friends. 'Paige always thought she had more rhythm than anybody in the room,' Ms. Starks said. 'She always thought she was fresh, and that's what makes her unique.'
