Paige Bueckers is expected to be the first overall pick in the WNBA Draft on Monday night.
Paige Bueckers is headed to Dallas.
The UConn superstar was selected first overall by the Dallas Wings in the WNBA Draft Monday night.
Bueckers is the first UConn player taken as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft since the Seattle Storm selected Breanna Stewart in 2016.
The Draft wrapped up a whirlwind eight days for the UConn guard after she helped lead the Huskies to the program's 12th NCAA National Championship with an 82-59 win over South Carolina on April 6.
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Since then, she's made appearances on NBC's "Today," as well as "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," before making her way back to Connecticut for a victory parade and rally in Hartford on Sunday.
Bueckers' life won't slow down after Monday night's draft.
Bueckers will be headed to Texas to do appearances and get ready for training camp that begins on April 27. She'll be in the spotlight trying to revitalize the Dallas franchise. Her No. 5 jersey is expected to be one of the top sellers in the WNBA this upcoming season.
Dog House
The 23-year-old guard has been in the spotlight since her high school days in Minnesota. She's been one of the most popular players ever since she stepped foot in Storrs in 2021.
Bueckers burst on to the season as a freshman in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. She became the first player ever to earn AP Player of the Year honors in her first year. Then injuries hampered her next two years before she finally was healthy again.
“It was a journey of resilience, of overcoming adversity,” she said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world just because it became such a beautiful story and a remarkable journey of ups and downs, highs and lows, of keeping the faith, of working extremely hard, and I really wouldn’t trade it.”
Her name, image and likeness valuations are among the top for women’s basketball players. She has deals with major sponsors Nike, Gatorade, Verizon and Dunkin’ Donuts. She added Ally Financial last week.
On the court, Bueckers has been one of the most efficient players in college basketball during her time at UConn. She finished her career shooting over 53% from the field, 42% from behind the 3-point line and 85% from the free throw line.
“It’s going to be fun to watch her because I expect a similar efficiency from her at the pro level,” ESPN analyst and UConn legend Rebecca Lobo said. "I actually think it will be good if her efficiency is down a little bit because that means she’s hunting shots more, which is kind of what she has the ability to do and what we saw especially throughout the course of the Big East and NCAA Tournaments.
“But she’s a special talent who can just get where she wants to get and once she gets there, hit her shots at a ridiculously high efficiency.”
UConn has produced the most first-overall WNBA Draft picks in history with six. In addition to Bueckers and Stewart, the other No. 1 picks include Maya Moore (2011), Tina Charles (2010), Diana Taurasi (2004), and Sue Bird (2002). In all, 48 UConn players have been drafted into the WNBA.
Watch "Path of Paige Bueckers"
You can watch "The Path of Paige Bueckers," and NBC Connecticut Original Special about the 23-year-old point guard whose skills on the basketball court are matched only by her popularity.
