Paige Bueckers Drops Epic Quote About Criticism of Offseason Exploits
Much has already been made about the places UConn women's basketball star guard Paige Bueckers has been this summer.
Every week it seemed like Bueckers was showing up at some sports game, award show, or fashion week event wearing yet another iconic outfit.
The most recent of these escapades was when Bueckers showed up to the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers game in Los Angeles last weekend — which prompted some playful tampering from Los Angeles Sparks standout Rickea Jackson and her teammate Azura Stevens.
Because of Bueckers being out and about so often, some fans have raised questions about whether she's putting the work in on the court to prepare for what's almost certainly going to be her final season at UConn.
But the 22-year-old sent a clear message to anyone who's doubting whether she has been in the gym on Thursday.
"I had a pretty good summer. I enjoyed it. It was my first healthy offseason where I wasn't in a place rehabbing, staying at school, getting stronger. So I took advantage of it," Bueckers told reporters on Thursday, per X user @babymarri11.
"Everybody saw the world tour, they didn't see the work tour," Bueckers continued.
How's that for an iconic quote?
"They see me 3-4 hours a day and they think they know my entire 24 hours. Which is cool," Bueckers continued. "It's fine. The work will always show. I'm a believer in that, I have confidence in that. And I can already see if I have a game that's not up to other people's standards, it's like, 'should have been in the gym all summer. Shouldn't have been doing this, shouldn't have been doing that.'"
She then added, "But luckily, I don't play for their approval... So all that's to say I had a great summer, yeah."
listen up everyone 🧏🏽♀️ pic.twitter.com/wcq2YzfYQw
— 💌 (@babymarri11) October 3, 2024
Bueckers is clearly ready to prove any doubters wrong this season.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.