“It’s just the beginning! 🔥,” Those were the University of Connecticut Huskies star Paige Bueckers’s words when she got an opportunity to join the Unrivaled Women’s 3*3 basketball league in August. The decision for the same was announced by Sham Charania on the social media platform X and Bueckers reshared the tweet with her own perspective.

Next Bueckers also signed a shoe deal with Nike that will allow her to make her own version of the GT Hustle 3, thereby becoming the first college star to have a shoe deal. But irrespective of two major deals, Bueckers Name, Image, and Likeness NIL valuation didn’t see much change after that. However, that has now shown a considerable increase.

Paige Bueckers has the highest NIL among women ballers

Bueckers was previously positioned at the 19th spot in the NIL 100 with a valuation of $1 million. At that time she was behind the Louisiana State University Lady Tigers star Flau’jae Johnson who has a valuation of $1.2 million. Bueckers therefore occupied the second place among college women’s basketball stars. But that has recently changed.

The deals have now shown an increase in the NIL with her valuation currently standing at $1.4 million. So the growth has been somewhere around $385K. With this, she has removed Johnson from her throne and has the highest NIL valuation among college women’s basketball players. On the NIL 100, she is now positioned at the eighth spot.

Meanwhile, in terms of followers, Bueckers now has 4.9 million followers with a major 2.8 million on TikTok. Plus she has another 2 million on the social media networking site Instagram where she keeps her fans updated about the various happenings in her life. As for X, she has just 3% of the total followers there with 138K fans and her deals have certainly contributed to it.

Paige Bueckers golden deals

Bueckers became the first NCAA athlete to have an ownership stake in Unrivaled. The 3*3 women’s league will be providing an additional source of income to players during the WNBA off-season. Since it is a player-operated league, the stars are expected to be paid in 6-digit numbers and surpass their WNBA earnings. Plus another advantage of the league is that since it has a 3*3 format, now fans will be able to access good basketball in minimal time which might also be the next big thing in sports. As for her Nike deal, Bueckers as mentioned was the first college athlete to get one.

Bueckers has been part of the Nike camp since September 2023. She has had the opportunity to feature in their endorsements as well as market their products. Involved in promoting their GT Hustle 2 sneakers and with the new deal, she will now have her own custom colorway in the GT Hustle 3. The sneakers will be made available to the public on September 12 and will be priced at $190 as per Sole Retriever (h/t: CT Insider).

Perhaps, Bueckers must be out there celebrating as she sees a bright future ahead of her. As per fans, this year has been nothing short of a dream for Bueckers with these 2 deals and also making it to the Final Four. Hopefully, she will accomplish another of her aims when she takes the court later in the year for the Huskies.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.