"Mans almost took me out": UConn star Paige Bueckers sweats on the court with Darren McLinton ahead of college basketball season

Paige Bueckers shared snippets of her training session with trainer Darren McClinton, CEO of McLinton Basketball Academy, on August 1. After taking a long break from basketball, Bueckers has returned to the court to prepare for the next season.

Bueckers shared a clip and a photograph of her dribbling and 3-point shooting in her Instagram stories while practicing with Darren. She captioned the picture:

Breakfast club, Be a machine. Mans almost took me out."

Paige Bueckers Instagram story

Bueckers didn't choose to go WNBA this year but returned to college for her final year of eligibility. Injuries perturbed her from time to time in her college basketball career but her fans would want to finish her college with a bang.

Bueckers missed her sophomore season due to a knee injury. In her junior season, she was ruled out after she suffered an ACL tear.

Despite setbacks, Bueckers bounced back from time to time to climb to the top in college basketball. Upon her return, the two-time All-American averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season. She shot 53% from the field and 41.6 from the 3-point range.

Bueckers has led her team to three Final Four appearances and a national championship game. After the departure of stars like Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink, the attention has zoomed in on Bueckers on the inter-collegiate basketball scene.

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Paige Bueckers to sign a deal with Unrivaled League

Bueckers is going to sign a NIL deal with a new 3x3 basketball league Unrivaled. UConn star will play in the league and have stakes as well in it. Basketball insider Shams Charania broke the news:

"UConn’s Paige Bueckers is signing an NIL deal with the new women’s basketball league Unrivaled that makes her the first NCAA athlete to receive ownership equity in a league. Bueckers is expected to play in Unrivaled, along with the WNBA, after her college career is over."

Former UConn stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier are the brains behind the venture. The league will have 30 players and is set to start in 2025. The players in the league are expected to get an average salary of $250000 per season.