Paige Bueckers NIL deal with Unrivaled: UConn star to own big chunk of 3X3 basketball league's ownership pool

UConn Huskies star basketball player Paige Bueckers has inked an NIL deal with Unrivaled. Basketball insider Shams Charania broke the news on social media.

According to Charania, Bueckers' deal with Unrivaled will get her ownership in the basketball league. She will also play in Unrivaled as well as the WNBA after her college career is over.

"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."

Unrivaled is a new 3-on-3 women's basketball league. Bueckers becomes the first NCAA athlete to receive ownership equity in a league as part of her NIL deal. The league is set to begin play in 2025 and will take place outside of the WNBA season, which should allow other WNBA stars to play in the league.

The league cap for all 30 players will be at least $7.5 million, meaning each player will average $250,000 per season. The league will also give players 10-15% of the ownership pool, and Bueckers will receive a share of it in her NIL deal.

Unrivaled was founded by former UConn players Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.

“Women’s sports is on such a rise, and it feels like everyone is benefiting from that except the women in the sport, and obviously that’s something we’re trying to change and then also create generational wealth for these women,” Collier told The Athletic in May. “From the beginning, (Stewart) and I really set out to create a league that was founded on that principle that players deserve compensation and ownership that reflect their value.”

Paige Bueckers' NIL deals

Paige Bueckers is one of the top players in college basketball, and she has secured plenty of NIL deals.

Bueckers has NIL deals with companies like Topps, Bose, Dunkin', Taco Bell, Nike, Crocs and Gatorade.

Bueckers is set to enter her fourth college season at UConn. Last year with the Huskies, she recorded 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. The guard will likely be the first overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.