“Ate down like always”: UConn’s Aubrey Griffin reacts to Paige Bueckers signing a major brand deal with hair care company

Paige Bueckers announced on Wednesday that she has signed a major deal with the haircare brand, Madison Reed. She was a part of the Team ColorWonder campaign along with her UConn teammates, Azzi Fudd, Ice Brady and Morgan Cheli.

Bueckers is set to be a brand ambassador and impact adviser. Sharing the news about the deal on Instagram, she wrote:

"Blessed to partner with @madisonreed as a Brand Ambassador and share how ColorWonder lets me have fun with my hair color. Madison Reed is a company whose values align with mine and I’m proud to get behind their mission of empowering and creating opportunities for women with @amyerrett."

Paige Bueckers' UConn teammate, Aubrey Griffin reacted to the guard's new hair color in the comments.

"ate down like always!!," she wrote.

Aubrey Griffin and Olivia Nelson-Ododa comments (Credits: Instagram/@paigebueckers)

After being sidelined with an ACL tear in her left knee last season, Aubrey Griffin is back on the court, ready for her final college season.

In the 2022-23 season, Griffin started 30 of 35 games for the Huskies, averaging 11.3 points and 6.6 rebounds in 30.5 minutes per game.

Paige Bueckers hopes to give back to her community with her NIL deals

Paige Bueckers has been on a roll with NIL signings. Last week it was announced that the guard has signed a deal with the new women's basketball league, Unrivaled. Founded by former UConn alums, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, the 3x3 league hopes to provide athletes additional income sources that can supplement their WNBA salaries.

Reports also claimed that Bueckers would receive an ownership stake in the teams. With this, she would become the first and only college player to sign a deal with a professional league.

Apart from this, Paige Bueckers is also set to receive her shoe line as part of her endorsement deal with Nike. Per Sole Retrieve, the special colorway of the Nike GT Hustle 3 will again make the UConn guard the only college player with their own shoe line.

Commenting on her NIL deals and its impact with Sports Illustrated, she said:

"I definitely want to be looked at as somebody who you want to follow this path in NIL. For me, it's building the brand of giving back and using the platform and the gifts that I've been given and blessed with to give back to others.

"It's about being caring, being genuine and having real authentic relationships, not just using a brand to up my status but actually building relationships and long-term partnerships."

Bueckers is also preparing for her final season with the UConn Huskies before she declares for the 2025 WNBA draft.