Source: Steph Chambers / Getty
The NCAA’s NIL era has provided college players with previously unimaginable wealth, and Paige Bueckers is the latest to reap the rewards.
But instead of a deal with a fast food spot or a major athletic sportswear brand, she’s getting something that’s often even more valuable: equity.
Most players have to wait until they retire from their professional careers to fulfill their dream of team ownership, but Bueckers is doing so before she even enters the WNBA— where she’s on track to be the first pick in the 2025 draft.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the UCONN star is getting an ownership stake in the Unrivaled Basketball League, which she’ll play in alongside the WNBA upon graduating in the spring.
UConn’s Paige Bueckers is signing an NIL deal with the new women’s basketball league Unrivaled that makes her the first NCAA athlete to receive ownership equity in a league. Bueckers is expected to play in Unrivaled, along with the WNBA, after her college career is over. pic.twitter.com/NkPImheHig
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 1, 2024
“UConn’s Paige Bueckers is signing an NIL deal with the new women’s basketball league Unrivaled that makes her the first NCAA athlete to receive ownership equity in a league. Bueckers is expected to play in Unrivaled, along with the WNBA, after her college career is over,” the NBA Insider tweeted.
Announced in May, the 3-on-3 league was created by current WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.
WNBA seasons only last 40 games, and with the base WNBA salaries sitting around $64,000, players are itching for more checks and have the lengthy offseason to play more.
So Stewart and Collier are willing to offer a higher average salary and allow players to own equity in their teams.
“It’s really important to us,” Collier told the Associated Press. “Compensation is a huge part of Unrivaled as a league and a business. All the players in this first year will have equity in the league. For players to have a piece of the pie essentially to grow their generational wealth is something we’re really excited about.”
Other investors include Carmelo Anthony, Alex Morgan and Ashton Kutcher.
The league kicks off in January 2025, and now we know that yet another growing star will be playing.
See how social media is reacting to the move below.
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