The young athletes are slowly making a rise to the top and Paige Bueckers isn’t any further away from achieving the dream. She started her journey on the wooden floor when she was a toddler. Her father was one of her biggest motivators in the sport as he coached her when she was young. However, the 21-year-old looks up to all-time greats like LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Sue Bird, and Diana Taurasi.
Bueckers attended Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota, an institution known for formerly accommodating a couple of basketball stars of today. While she initially took part in football, soccer, and baseball, she ultimately set her sights on basketball in first grade. She eventually grew up to become one of the top-ranked three-point shooters and facilitators during her time in high school.
No. 1 overall recruit Paige Bueckers is a human highlight reel with four gold medals and a state championship 🔥 @brhoops
For more on the UConn-bound superstar: https://t.co/psvMibuhEp pic.twitter.com/7GIMIWCs0V
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 2, 2020
Toward the end of her high school stint, Paige Bueckers won multiple accolades. She was named Mcdonald’s All-American, Gatorade National Player of the Year, USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year (2019), Naismith Prep Player of the Year, and more. Even though she received offers from Iowa State, Notre Dame, UCLA, South Carolina, and many others, Paige became the 11th No.1 ranked recruit to join UConn.
Paige Bueckers’ NIL Deal worth is $637,000 as of 2023
Paige Bueckers has represented the country at different world-level tournaments. She’s a four-time gold medalist representing Team USA Basketball. Not only that, but she has also earned several accolades playing under UConn. As a result, she has emerged as a frontrunner for NIL Deals from big brands. Bueckers’ current NIL Deal earnings are estimated at a total of $637,000 as of 2023. And the numbers are gradually rising.
She ranks 62nd among NIL Deal earners and 4th among women basketball players. Paige has approximately 1.6 million followers on Instagram, 486,000 followers on TikTok, and 78,000 on X. She first began signing NIL deals in 2021 and StockX was the first brand to make things official. Bueckers is also one of the faces of Bose, Gatorade, Crocs, Nerf, Chegg, and Ibotta.
Paige Bueckers has signed with Nike 🚀
(via @NickDePaula, Nike) pic.twitter.com/ltHpXQmlly
— ESPN (@espn) September 6, 2023
Paige Bueckers recently signed a multiple-year deal with Nike, arguably the biggest sporting goods brand in the world. The shoe endorsement will extend through her professional career as well. Bueckers missed the last NCAA season due to an ACL injury. But she will make her return as the UConn Huskies look forward to capturing the throne from the LSU Tigers.