Paige Bueckers Reveals New Nickname for Opposing WNBA Player

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated May 28, 2025 10:58 PM ET

Paige Bueckers got her first win as a WNBA rookie on Tuesday when her Dallas Wings blew out the Connecticut Sun by a final score of 109-87.

She gave everyone a glimpse of what may lie ahead for her and her team by hitting eight of her 10 shot attempts to score 21 points while adding seven assists, five rebounds, two steals and one block.

Bueckers went up against one of her former UConn teammates on Tuesday in Olivia Nelson-Ododa, who had six points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Sun. On an Instagram post, she gave Nelson-Ododa a new nickname.

"Livvypooh," the caption read.

The two women played together at UConn during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. During that time, Bueckers was starting to establish herself as a potent scorer, a deadly 3-point shooter and a reliable facilitator.

Meanwhile, the 6-foot-5 Nelson-Ododa was excelling defensively and on the boards, and she was named the Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.

Nelson-Ododa was the No. 19 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. After one year with the Sparks, she was traded to Connecticut.

Meanwhile, Bueckers overcame a torn ACL that forced her to miss all of the 2022-23 campaign and continued to raise her game to new heights. This past season, she averaged 19.9 points, 4.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds a game while shooting 53.4% from the field and 41.9% from 3-point range, and she led the Huskies to the women's NCAA championship.

The hope is that she will revitalize a Wings franchise that won three WNBA titles in the 2000s as the Detroit Shock but has won just one playoff series since 2009.

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

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