UConn star Paige Bueckers is signing a name, image and likeness deal with Unrivaled, the new three-on-three league that promises the highest average pay in pro women’s basketball, sources briefed on the deal said. The deal will make Bueckers the first NCAA athlete to receive ownership equity in a league.
Bueckers, who is entering her fifth season at UConn, is expected to join an Unrivaled team after her first WNBA season, the sources said. The current deal does not include playing services because of NIL restrictions.
With a 10-15 percent ownership pool for players, Unrivaled, which was announced by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier in July 2023, has been aggressive with its pursuit of WNBA stars. The league will include six franchises with 30 players total. The league cap for the 30 players will be at least $7.5 million, an average of $250,000, the sources said — just above the WNBA supermax of $241,000.
The league will officially launch in January.
“Women’s sports is on such a rise, and it feels like everyone is benefiting from that except the women in the sport, and obviously that’s something we’re trying to change and then also create generational wealth for these women,” Collier told The Athletic in May. “From the beginning, (Stewart) and I…
