UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers is set to sign a name, image, and likeness (NIL) agreement with Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by former Huskies Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, according to The Athletic. Unrivaled aims to offer players the highest average salary in women’s professional basketball and features a player-owned business model that provides athletes with equity in the league. Bueckers will be the first active college athlete to gain ownership equity in a professional sports league. Although Unrivaled is scheduled to debut in January 2025, Bueckers will not participate in its inaugural season due to NIL regulations but is expected to join the league after her first WNBA season.
Bueckers is entering her fifth season at UConn for the 2024-25 year and is widely anticipated to be the top pick in the 2025 WNBA draft. She was a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year in 2024, leading UConn to an unexpected Final Four appearance while averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.
Unrivaled’s first season will feature 30 players across six teams, with an average salary of $250,000. The league has already attracted ten current WNBA All-Stars, including Stewart and Collier, as well as eight 2024 Olympians, five WNBA champions, and three WNBA Finals MVPs. Backed by a high-profile investment group including UConn coach Geno Auriemma, former USWNT stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, NBA All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Steve Nash, and LPGA champion Michelle Wie West, Unrivaled is poised to make a significant impact in women’s professional basketball. Auriemma expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “If Stewie and Pheesa think this is a great idea and are committed to it, then I’m in. I believe in them and everything they do turns out well, so I wanted to be a part of it.”
