Minnesota Vikings send 1-word message to Paige Bueckers after UConn star leads Huskies to National Championship

Minnesota Vikings had nothing but love for Paige Bueckers as she helped lead the UConn Huskies to the National Championship. The most successful program in women's college basketball had not won the big prize since 2016 and the projected WNBA draft first pick could have bowed out without that acclaim. However, after five years, she finally managed to bring it home in her final game for the program.

She cemented her legacy in UConn but the Vikings did not forget her primary affiliation. Before she became a star for the Huskies, she grew up in Minnesota and was a fan of the NFL franchise. They posted a picture of the star on X as a young girl wearing the famous purple jersey with a single word:

"Buckets"

Paige Bueckers is affectionately called Paige Buckets because of her ability on the basketball court and they followed it up with a trophy and a purple and gold heart underneath signifying the colors of the NFC North organization.

Minnesota Vikings wait until National Championship victory to toast Uconn Huskies' Paige Bueckers

Paige Bueckers is riding high now but she has had some difficult moments in her college career. She suffered a season-ending ACL injury that ruled her out of the 2022-23 season. She was also part of the Uconn Huskies team that lost in the National Championship final against South Carolina in 2022.

She exacted a measure of revenge with an 82-59 thrashing of the same opponents this year. And the Vikings held their counsel until she had secured her name on the trophy before posting her picture in their uniform.

The franchise had posted the exact picture last year in support of their hometown star. However, she and the Huskies did not succeed then, which was a bit of a dampener at the end of it. At that time, Minnesota had written:

"She grew up cheering for us and now we’re cheering for her 🤝👏... Good luck in the women’s Final Four Paige ‼️"

UConn's journey last season ended at Iowa's hands as Caitlin Clark took center stage in the semi-final. She would later be taken as the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft despite the Hawkeyes falling to South Carolina in the final. Paige Bueckers is expected to follow the same path and become the first overall selection this year with the crucial difference being that she can leave college football behind having won the trophy that eluded her predecessor.