Champion Guard Picks Paige Bueckers as Favorite UConn Star
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Usually, when the conversation is about favorite UConn Huskies women’s basketball alums, there is a heated debate. After all, the Huskies have produced Hall of Famers, WNBA stars, and all-time greats. However, when former Huskies point guard Kaitlyn Chen had to answer the question, the reply was instantaneous.
On the “Fudd Around and Find Out” podcast, hosted by Azzi Fudd, Chen simply said, “Oh, Paige Bueckers.”
With legends like Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, and Sue Bird, it would take a lot to single out one name. But Chen’s admiration for Bueckers goes beyond accolades.
“I knew you were gonna say that,” Fudd, Buecker's partner and former teammate, joked.
Their friendship began on the hardcourts of UConn in the backcourt of the 2024-25 national championship team. That year, Chen transferred to Princeton and was vital in clutch moments. She even had a 15-point game against USC in the Elite Eight. Interestingly, Chen is not the only one who adores Bueckers.
Earlier this year, Chen’s father, Yeh-Ching Chen, went viral for donning Bueckers’ jersey during a Dallas Wings game at San Francisco’s Chase Center. The best part is that he wore it despite the matchup being against his daughter’s Golden State Valkyries.
not kaitlyn chen's dad wearing a PB jersey man uconn family runs forever 😭 pic.twitter.com/zQbTjZnN3O
— max 🪐 (@chaweei) August 20, 2025
“He loves Paige, and he was like, ‘This is my one chance to wear my Paige jersey,’” Chen recalled. “Don’t worry, he talked to me about it before, and I honestly thought it would be pretty funny. So I was like, ‘Go for it.’” It was a moment for the ages.
Though their professional paths have diverged, the connection forged in Storrs remains. Bueckers was the No. 1 overall pick, and Chen was drafted in the third round and briefly waived before making history as the first Taiwanese-American to score a regular-season point.
Despite their WNBA careers taking different trajectories, the two have been supporting each other. In fact, when they faced off at the Chase Center in San Francisco in late July, Bueckers took a moment to praise Chen.
Paige Bueckers on the success of her UConn teammate Kaitlyn Chen on the Golden State Valkyries:
— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) July 26, 2025
“Yeah, it’s extremely cool. I’m extremely happy for her, I know she works extremely hard and she has a great mindset about that.” pic.twitter.com/8TlsCUhb5U
Bueckers praised Chen’s progress with the Golden State Valkyries, saying, “Yeah, it’s extremely cool. I’m extremely happy for her. I know she works extremely hard, and she has a great mindset about that."
Chen has averaged 2.0 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 24 appearances this season while shooting 52% from the field. Meanwhile, Bueckers averaged 19.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. She was also named WNBA Rookie of the Year.
-fd44250df32912986cc6690f0b8bfa32.png "Shivani Menon")
Shivani Menon is a sports journalist with a background in Mass Communication and a passion for storytelling. She has written for EssentiallySports, College Sports Network, and PFSN, covering Olympic sports like track and field, gymnastics, and alpine skiing, as well as college football, basketball, March Madness, and the NBL Draft. When she's not reporting, she's either on the road chasing sunsets or getting lost in the rhythms of electronic soundscapes.