Paige Bueckers is headed to the WNBA after an outstanding stint in the NCAA with the UConn Huskies.
She spent her entire college career with them, and she led them to the women’s national championship this past season while winning the Big East Player of the Year award and the Nancy Lieberman Award.
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She was taken by the Dallas Wings with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft just days ago, and she will add some much-needed star power to a Wings team that struggled mightily in 2024.
Bueckers wrote an emotional thank-you post on her Instagram account to UConn and its fans.
“UConn Nation, where do I even begin,” she wrote.
“These past 5 years have been some of the most rewarding, challenging and Blessed years of my life. From the relationships that will last a lifetime, memories and experiences I’ll never forget, and a growing in Faith that has changed my life. The support and love has meant everything to me and I wouldn’t have been able to make it through without it. From all my sisters that I played with, to everyone in the program you are all family for life. Storrs, Connecticut will always be my second home and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m forever indebted and all I can say is THANK YOU💙”
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Liam McNeeley, a forward for the men’s Huskies, responded with a “goat” emoji.
Paige Bueckers, Instagram Paige Bueckers, Instagram
Bueckers powered UConn with 19.9 points, 4.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals a game this past season. She had a 40-point outburst on 16-of-27 field-goal shooting, which included six 3-pointers, in the Sweet Sixteen round when the Huskies walloped Oklahoma by a final score of 82-59.
UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5). David Butler II-Imagn Images
While she’s nominally a point guard, she can play multiple positions. She can score efficiently from all three levels, and she shot 53.4% overall and 41.9% from 3-point range last season.
Fouling her doesn’t exactly slow her down, as she made 88.9% of her foul shot attempts during the 2024-25 campaign.
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Dallas went 9-31 and had the WNBA’s worst defensive rating last year. Bueckers is not only expected to help the team rebuild but also to become the league’s newest superstar and help its ratings and overall interest explode even more than they did in 2024.
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