UConn Star Paige Bueckers Inks NIL Deal With Unrivaled Basketball League, per Report

Bueckers will receive ownership equity and play in the new league after her college career is complete.

Apr 5, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) dribbles the ball against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the semifinals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers will sign an NIL deal with the new professional women's 3-on-3 Unrivaled basketball league, according to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The deal for Bueckers is historic, as she becomes the first NCAA athlete to receive ownership equity in a league as part of her NIL deal with the entity. The Unrivaled league, which was founded by former UConn basketball stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, is set to begin play in 2025, and games will take place outside of the WNBA basketball season. Bueckers is expected to play both in the WNBA, as well as in the Unrivaled league, once she leaves UConn.

Stewart and Collier founded the league to give women's basketball players a domestic outlet to play basketball and make money during the WNBA offseason. Historically, WNBA players have gone overseas to continue playing once the WNBA season is complete, but the Unrivaled league will be a new 3-on-3 domestic option featuring some of the WNBA's best players.

The Unrivaled league has a 10-15% ownership pool for the players participating in the league, and Bueckers will receive some of that share. The league cap for 30 players will be at least $7.5 million, and participating players will average $250,000 for playing in the league.

Bueckers is one of the best players in college basketball, as she averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists on 53.0% shooting from the floor which included a 41.6% mark from three last season for the Huskies.