"Switched my framing from, 'why me?' to 'why not me?'": Paige Bueckers attributes mental fortitude for overcoming devastating setback

Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers, the first pick in the recently concluded WNBA draft, shared how she overcame several injuries during her collegiate career.

Bueckers appeared on Wednesday's "Good Morning America." Host Robin Roberts asked the former UConn Huskies star how she handled her injuries. The show shared Bueckers' response on YouTube.

"I grew in my faith," Bueckers said. "I leaned in my faith and God's purpose for me and just giving up my own understanding and switched my framing from a 'why me?' to 'why not me?'

"Like, why can I not overcome this? Why can I not come back and be better and to inspire the next generation, anybody who went through injuries or something devasting, that it doesn't have to break you. It can make you and mold you to be a better person, a better player or whatever you do."

The 23-year-old guard also attributed the work put in by the Huskies staff:

"Everybody who's spent so much time helping me get back to form, you just want to reward their hard work, so all of that combined," Bueckers added.

According to an ESPN article by league insider Alexa Philippou on Wednesday, Bueckers also employed performance enhancement specialist Susan King, known for her work with several WNBA stars, during her recovery from the injuries.

Philippou asked one WNBA general manager if Paige Bueckers' injuries during college will be a cause for concern as she transitions to the pros:

"Absolutely not," the GM said. "Like, who cares how many injuries she's had? She's special."

What is Paige Bueckers' injury history?

Paige Bueckers played for the UConn Huskies from 2020 until this year. However, she was sidelined for nearly two years, missing most of her sophomore season and her entire junior year.

Bueckers rolled his ankle in a 67-61 win against Tennesse on Jan. 21, 2021. Following that season, the school announced on April 30, 2021, that she underwent a right ankle surgery to repair an osteochondral defect.

She suffered another injury on Dec. 5. 2021. She left a game against Notre Dame with what was revealed to be a tibial plateau fracture. A week later, she underwent surgery to repair the injury and a previously undisclosed meniscus tear. Two months later, she returned to action on a limited playing time.

In August 2022, UConn announced that Bueckers had a torn ACL in her left knee suffered during a pick-up game. She missed the 2022-23 season and received an additional year of eligibility after redshirting.

Paige Bueckers ended her collegiate career with two healthy seasons, capped off by a national championship earlier this month.