One week after winning the national championship with UConn, Paige Bueckers is heading to Unrivaled on a three-year deal, according to a source briefed on the decision.
Her first-year salary for Unrivaled’s 10-week season will exceed what she can earn in all four years of an WNBA rookie contract, the source said. The Dallas Wings are expected to take Bueckers with the No. 1 pick in Monday night’s WNBA Draft.
ESPN was first to report the news of Bueckers’ Unrivaled deal.
Unrivaled debuted this winter, entering the women’s basketball landscape at a growth moment in the sport. The 3×3 league, co-founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, hoped to be a domestic alternative for athletes who have historically competed overseas during the WNBA offseason. Unrivaled paid record salaries, an average of around $220,000 per player, and provided player equity, which the WNBA doesn’t provide. (The WNBA’s average salary was around $120,000 in 2024.)
Thirty-six of the world’s top players signed on for Unrivaled’s debut season, which ran from mid-January to mid-March.
Rose Basketball Club, led by Chelsea Gray, won Unrivaled’s first championship, defeating Vinyl Basketball Club 62-54. Members of the winning team took home an additional $50,000 in prize money.
Bueckers will…
