Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton drop 1-word reactions to college basketball star Paige Bueckers' striking GQ cover shoot

Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton have both displayed their interest in basketball with heartwarming messages for Paige Bueckers. The duo shared their reactions to the college basketball star's striking new photoshoot for GQ Sports.

Bueckers has taken the basketball world by storm with her impressive performances for the University of Connecticut's women's team. After winning the national high school player of the year award, she made history by securing the Associated Press Player of the Year honors in her freshman season for UConn. The American has continued to impress during her time in college, leading the Huskies to the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA tournament.

Paige Bueckers recently graced the cover of GQ Sports, making a fashion statement in a chic pinstriped suit, paired with an off-white shirt and maroon tie. The 23-year-old also showed off several athleisure outfits in the eye-catching photoshoot.

"Blessed and grateful. Thank you @gq 🙏🏼," Bueckers captioned her Instagram post.

Bueckers' photoshoot caught the attention of Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton, who showed their appreciation for the 23-year-old's looks.

"Fireee🔥🔥🔥," Gauff wrote.

"Tuff," Shelton commented.

Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton's comments on Paige Buecker's Instagram post

Ben Shelton can relate to Paige Bueckers on a personal level, having played college tennis at the University of Florida before turning professional. The American has credited his collegiate career, where he played under his father and coach Bryan Shelton, for helping him grow as a person.

In a 2024 interview with The Guardian, Shelton pointed out that professional tennis could be a very "selfish sport" and disclosed that he missed the team aspect of playing in college.

"But I had the opportunity of playing on a team and supporting my teammates, even being on the bench sometimes and letting other guys get the credit. I think it’s something that’s helped me as a person a lot," Shelton said.

"And it makes things tough sometimes out on the tennis tour, because you are out here by yourself and competing by yourself, and I do really miss the team aspect that I had in college and then other team sports," he added.

Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton were both passionate about basketball before turning their focus to tennis

Ben Shelton and Coco Gauff - Source: Getty

Interestingly, Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton both developed an interest in basketball before turning their focus to tennis. During the aforementioned interview, Shelton disclosed that he had been "obsessed" with cooler sports like football and basketball when he was younger, instead of "boring" tennis.

"I thought tennis was a boring sport. Football and basketball and baseball were the cooler sports to play in America. So those were the ones that I was obsessed with when I was little. But here we are," he said.

Meanwhile, Coco Gauff's father Corey had wanted her to become a WNBA player, with the 20-year-old competing in both basketball and track during her childhood.

"Yeah, it's funny because my dad was actually talking about that," Coco Gauff said in a press conference at the 2024 Stuttgart Open. "He was, like, 'You would have been right up there. You would have been a sophomore. I would have had you shooting Js and everything.'"

Gauff also shared that she would've relished the chance to test her skills against Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark "in another life."