UConn Star Paige Bueckers Unveils Epic New Gatorade Flavor
Paige Bueckers and Gatorade first formed their partnership while Bueckers was in college at UConn when she became the first NCAA athlete to sign a NIL deal with the sports drink. It is a partnership that has transitioned through her journey to the WNBA after she was the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
On Tuesday, Bueckers and her Dallas Wings won their first home game of the season in an 80-71 victory over the Golden State Valkyries, marking the first home win of her young career. She finished with a game-high 20 points and 4 rebounds in the victory and celebrated postgame by unveiling a new Gatorade Flavor made just for her.
Dubbed, "Paige's Favorite Flavor," the bottle has her picture and signature on it.
“Paige’s Favorite Flavor” https://t.co/MGkdu3Ie7h pic.twitter.com/2lvQC1iQLy
— Myah Taylor (@t_myah) June 18, 2025
In a postgame interview, Bueckers commented on the limited edition drink, beaming with a smile, "Shirley Temple is like my favorite drink of all time, so they put it in a Gatorade flavor." Her teammate, Myisha Hines-Allen also appeared to be dazzled by the collaboration.
Bueckers became the first NCAA athlete to sign an NIL deal with Gatorade and has carried the partnership into her pro career.
— Myah Taylor (@t_myah) June 18, 2025
Gatorade is one of many sponsors in the rookie’s ever-growing portfolio.https://t.co/rzzQyJCJOm https://t.co/YcNThtKnAT
Per Myah Taylor, a reporter for The Dallas News, " On April 14, when the Wings drafted Bueckers, Gatorade released an ad that announced, “There’s a new star in town,” after showing a moving truck with a “Howdy from Dallas” bumper sticker.
Taylor also provides further insight on what most likely led to the partnership between Bueckers and Gatorade: dominance at all levels. She, "was named Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year as a sophomore and junior at Hopkins High School. After her senior season at Hopkins, the phenom picked up Gatorade National Player of the Year and Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year honors." The partnership officially commenced in 2021 after Bueckers won the 2021 Naismith National Player of the Year as a freshman at UConn.
Gatorade, nor Paige for that matter, have shared whether the limited edition drink will hit shelves any time soon, or ever.
Seth Orlemann has been covering sports for more than 5 years. His work spans across all major leagues in the realm of sports betting while he has also contributed to sites for the USC Trojans, New Orleans Saints, and FC Cincinnati. Orlemann, who is based out of Cincinnati, is a graduate of Ohio University’s Sport Management program and can be found in many major media outlets.