MINNETONKA, Minn. — Paige Bueckers is already thinking about her future while she's living in the present.
The former Hopkins High School standout plans on entering the WNBA draft after her season at UConn ends with what she hopes is the school's 12th national championship. She would still have at least one more year of eligibility because of her injuries and the COVID-19 year granted to athletes when she was a freshman, but this will be her final college season.
Bueckers has already signed up to be part of Unrivaled — the new 3-on-3 league started by former UConn greats Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. The league will begin play this upcoming winter and she will play in it in 2026.
“It’s super cool. Obviously you want to plan for the future, but your feet are living in the present,” Bueckers told The Associated Press in an interview. “To be part of that which is something that’s so much bigger than myself."
Bueckers will have an NIL deal with the league this year and will receive equity in it.
“I definitely think the return on investment will be huge. I think this league is gonna do great things,” she said. “Unrivaled is going to be a huge thing with people watching during the offseason of the WNBA.”
Stewart was happy that Bueckers was signed up for the fledgling league.
“Paige being a part of Unrivaled shows the longevity and future this league has,” she said. “Her being supportive of us in the first year and then playing in the second, is something that’s really exciting. We just are making sure that each year we have top caliber talent coming in.”
It's been a busy summer for Bueckers as she's spending a little bit of time in Minnesota before going back to school. From traveling the country to cheer on her former UConn teammates at WNBA games to watching her favorite Olympic events from her couch, the Huskies' star is taking in her final free time before her last year in college.
She hopes this is her best one as Bueckers has had an injury-filled college career after winning AP Player of the Year as a freshman.
After being hurt for really the previous two seasons, Bueckers was able to put together a strong year in helping the Huskies reach the Final Four in April before they fell just short to Caitlin Clark and Iowa.
She had to carry the team with many of her teammates sidelined with injuries. Bueckers hopes that this season the Huskies will all be able to stay healthy and contend for a title.
“We're all hungry and it's time to get back,” she said.
Bueckers has partnered with Meta AI and used it to learn more about the Olympics and the sports she was watching that included archery and badminton. She did a cute video with her brother Drew on Instagram learning how to become an archer.
"I’m definitely not at the level of the athletes competing in the Olympics, but getting to know a little bit more about the sports is awesome,” she said.
Meta AI has tapped into college stars such as Bueckers and JuJu Watkins as a new initiative dubbed “Super Fan” was launched.
“In a few clicks and a couple questions you can learn so much more about the sport,” she said.
Bueckers laughed when asked if she had used Meta AI to find out about herself.
“Not yet,” she said. “But I will.”
