HARTFORD, Conn. – UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers is signing a name, image and likeness deal with Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 basketball league founded by fellow Huskies legends Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, per a report from The Athletic. Unrivaled was created with the promise of paying players the highest average salary in women’s professional basketball, including a player-owned business model that offers athletes equity in the league. Bueckers will be the first active college athlete to receive ownership equity in any professional sports league. Unrivaled officially launches in January 2025 for its first season, but Bueckers won’t compete on her current deal due to NIL restrictions. The Athletic reports that she is expected to play in the league after her first WNBA season. Bueckers is set for her fifth season at UConn in 2024-25 and is widely projected as the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s WNBA draft. She was a finalist for Naismith Player of the Year in 2024 and led UConn on an unexpected run to the Final Four, averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. In its first season, Unrivaled is expected to include 30 players across six franchises and pay athletes an average salary of $250,000. Ten current WNBA All-Stars, including Stewart and Collier, have already signed on with the new league. The group includes eight 2024 Olympians, five WNBA champions and three WNBA Finals MVPs. Unrivaled is backed by a star-studded investment group, including UConn coach Geno Auriemma. Former USWNT stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, former NBA All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Steve Nash and five-time LPGA champion Michelle Wie West are among the league’s most prominent backers.
