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Paige Bueckers admits surprising fear at WNBA draft Empire State Building event

The UConn star and newly crowned champion has little fear on the basketball court, but showed she’s human off of it.
Matt Ryan|
Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) looks on during the second half of the national championship of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Amalie Arena.
Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) looks on during the second half of the national championship of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Amalie Arena. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Paige Bueckers has little fear on the basketball court, but she showed one of her fears while with the other draft prospects on WNBA draft Monday.

The UConn Huskies All-American and newly crowned NCAA champion came back to the school to deliver a title before heading to the 2025 draft where she is a lock to be the No. 1 pick.

She wasn’t missing the Huskies victory parade Sunday in Hartford, Connecticut, beforehand, though, as the 23-year-old was seen parading on the streets with her teammates.

RELATED: A'ja Wilson's advice to Paige Bueckers ahead of 2025 WNBA draft

From there she’d head to New York City, arriving late and on no sleep — even signing a big-time three-year deal in between with the Unrivaled league. Then, she had to be up for an early morning draft day full of activities like a trip atop the Empire State Building with her fellow future WNBA sisters like USC Trojans star Kiki Iriafen and TCU Horned Frogs’ Hailey Van Lith. They posed for some group photos while up there.

RELATED: NCAA champ Paige Bueckers looks WNBA-ready in all purple Nike tracksuit for new ad

Kiki Iriafen
Kiki Iriafen takes a selfie with Paige Bueckers behind her. | Kiki Iriafen/Instagram

But before reaching the main deck on the 86th floor of the building, Paige looked out the window on the 85th floor and looked shocked how high she was. When asked what she was thinking, Bueckers responded, “That’s way too high” with a shook look on her face.

While physical heights may not be here thing, Bueckers is about to soar to new heights from a basketball prospective and gain her wings when the Dallas Wings call her name on Monday night.

Paige Buecker
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Matt Ryan
MATT RYAN

Matt Ryan is a dedicated sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in digital and linear media. After receiving a Masters in Journalism from USC, he’s worked for Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo Sports, USA Today Sports Media Group, and Bally Sports, while holding various leadership roles along the way.

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