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WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart are preparing for the inaugural season of their Unrivaled 3x3 basketball league. With action set to begin on Jan. 17, anticipation is building despite the league still having three available spots on rosters.
Paige Bueckers won't be playing in the inaugural season. Given she's playing her final year of collegiate basketball, she's already signed an NIL deal with the league. On Thursday, the University of Connecticut star was featured in a promo video for Unrivaled.
"Paige Bueckers here," she said. "The reason for the call today is... Something just came across my desk. It is perhaps the best thing I've seen in the past year. If you have 36 seconds, I'd like to share the campaign with you. Do you have 36 seconds? The name of the campaign is-"
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The promo video caught the attention of both fans and players alike, with Napheesa Collier replying in the comments section with a pair of eye emojis. Similarly, in a post on her Instagram story, Collier shared the same eye emojis as seen below:
"It's super cool" - Paige Bueckers reacts after signing NIL deal with Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier's Unrivaled league
While the start of Unrivaled's inaugural season will take place during Paige Bueckers' NCAA season, she's already committed to playing in the 2026 Unrivaled season.
Along with fellow NCAA standout Flau'jae Johnson, Bueckers has signed an NIL deal with Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart's Unrivaled league. With both players expected to declare for the WNBA Draft after the ongoing NCAA season, the duo will likely forgo offseason play overseas.
After the end of the WNBA season, many players typically take their talents overseas to play for international clubs. With the creation of Unrivaled, however, Bueckers and Johnson will be part of the new era of women's basketball players who aim to play domestic basketball year-round.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Bueckers spoke about her deal with Unrivaled:
“It’s super cool. Obviously you want to plan for the future, but your feet are living in the present. To be part of that which is something that’s so much bigger than myself.”
“I definitely think the return on investment will be huge. I think this league is gonna do great things. Unrivaled is going to be a huge thing with people watching during the offseason of the WNBA.”
In addition to playing in Unrivaled, Bueckers will reportedly receive equity in the league.
