Unrivaled founder Breanna Stewart makes opinion crystal clear on 'investing' in Paige Bueckers

Breanna Stewart co-founded Unrivaled with fellow UConn alum Napheesa Collier to give fellow WNBA players alternative options during the offseason. The league signed Paige Bueckers to an NIL deal that allows her to join the competition during the 2026 season.

Speaking to ESPN's Hannah Storm in New York City in a video released on Saturday, Stewart opened up about Unrivaled's investment in Bueckers. The three-time WNBA champion cannot wait to see the UConn star play as a professional next year. Bueckers is the likely consensus top pick in the 2025 WNBA draft.

"I think that investing in Paige is never going to be a wrong choice," Stewart said. "I'm really excited to have her be a part of Unrivaled, whether it's from afar while she's still playing (at UConn) or in 2026 when she's in the league and hanging with the big dogs over here." [17:13 - 17:31]

Paige Bueckers has one more year of eligibility in college due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Bueckers is expected to enter the WNBA Draft and will likely get selected first by the Dallas Wings. She's still at UConn, but there are already comparisons between her and Caitlin Clark.

Bueckers and Clark have a different style of play, but the media and fans are unlikely to stop comparing them. The Huskies star has some high expectations considering what Clark did for the Indiana Fever on and off the court.

While Bueckers can certainly help a team improve, CC's popularity helped the Fever, the WNBA, and the city of Indianapolis make a lot of money. But for now, she's trying to help UConn win their first NCAA championship since 2016, which was Breanna Stewart's final year with the Huskies.

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Breanna Stewart gets honest about the possibility of recruiting more NIL talent after Paige Bueckers

Breanna Stewart gets honest about possibility of recruiting more NIL talent after Paige Bueckers. (Photo: IMAGN)

Unrivaled is not planning to stop recruiting college players like Paige Bueckers and sign them to NIL deals. Breanna Stewart told Hannah Storm about the league looking at college talents to join the league in the future.

"I think that Paige is the first, but hopefully, we'll have even more NIL athletes to come," Stewart said. [18:04 - 18:13 in the video above]

A few days before Stewart's interview was aired, Unrivaled already announced the signing of LSU star Flau'jae Johnson to an NIL deal. Johnson is one of the biggest stars in college basketball. She's not just a player, but also a rapper and a podcaster.

Unrivaled is set to start on January 2025 in Miami, with six teams in its first season. There are three players yet to be announced, with Kelsey Plum deciding to take time off from basketball.