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Paige Bueckers Makes Major Career Move Night Before WNBA Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated Apr 13, 2025 9:07 PM ET

Less than 24 hours before the 2025 WNBA Draft, ESPN reported that 2025 NCAA champion and projected No. 1 overall draft pick Paige Bueckers has signed a three-year contract with the Unrivaled basketball league.

In her first season with Unrivaled, which will span 10 weeks during the next WNBA offseason in early 2026, she will reportedly make more than the entire value of the four-year WNBA rookie scale contract she could sign if taken No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings during the draft on Monday night in New York City.

It is another warning signal to the WNBA from Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 league that just wrapped up its impressive inaugural season, won by Angel Reese's Rose Basketball Club.

Unrivaled announced it netted more than $27 million in revenue even without the star power of Caitlin Clark or A'ja Wilson, but its newest pro player will bring plenty next year.

Unrivaled, founded by WNBA starts Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, spent over $8 million in compensation for its 36 players, offering the highest average salary in women’s team sports history of over $200,000 per player. The WNBA rookie contract available to the No. 1 overall pick is worth $78,831 in year one salary.

It was an existing relationship for Bueckers. While she was at UConn, the standout guard signed an NIL deal with Unrivaled and became an investor in the league.

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This does not affect her standing in the WNBA Draft, as the two leagues do not overlap. She is still expected to be drafted No. 1 by Dallas and play with Arike Ogunbowale in the Wings backcourt in the upcoming WNBA season, which tips off May 16.

However, it is a massive publicity boost for Unrivaled, stealing the spotlight the night before one of the WNBA's biggest offseason events. The 2024 WNBA Draft on ESPN averaged 2.4 million viewers to see Clark get selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever.

The move also signals the continued increase in investment in women's sports, which the WNBA will have to catch up to if it wants to keep attracting players when its collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of the 2025 season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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