Paige Bueckers Adds Unrivaled NIL Deal to Growing List of College Firsts

Robin Lundberg | Aug 1, 2024

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

UConn star Paige Bueckers is in high demand these days. The latest instance being an NIL deal she has reportedly agreed to with Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 basketball league started by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier of the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx respectively. According to Sham Charania, Bueckers will receive equity as part of the deal, the first college athlete to have an ownership stake in a league. She plans to play for Unrivaled as well as the WNBA upon starting her professional career after her senior season with the Huskies.

UConn’s Paige Bueckers is signing an NIL deal with the new women’s basketball league Unrivaled that makes her the first NCAA athlete to receive ownership equity in a league. Bueckers is expected to play in Unrivaled, along with the WNBA, after her college career is over. pic.twitter.com/NkPImheHig

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 1, 2024

Unrivaled games will be based in Miami during the WNBA offseason and are set to feature the highest salaries in women's professional sports league history. Charania added that the average salary will be $250,000. Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese also notably joined the competition recently. Collier had previously told the Associated Press this about the six-figure compensation to be offered. “Compensation is a huge part of Unrivaled as a league and a business. All the players in this first year will have equity in the league. For players to have a piece of the pie essentially to grow their generational wealth is something we’re really excited about.”

🚨 BREAKING: Paige Bueckers is signing an NIL deal with the new women’s basketball league Unrivaled.

She is the first NCAA athlete to receive ownership equity in a league, and will play in the Unrivaled along with the WNBA.

(via @ShamsCharania) pic.twitter.com/rDN2VqeZVc

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 1, 2024

For Bueckers specifically, this news comes on the heels of a reported shoe release from Nike. Sole Retriever reported Paige is getting her own GT Hustle 3. Which would also be a first for a college player when it comes to have a sneaker released publicly.

Bueckers still has a big final season of college hoops ahead of her. She averaged 22.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists a game in 38 games while leading UConn to the Final Four last year. But it seems clear she will continue to pile up endorsements like she does buckets ahead of her debut in the WNBA.