Paige Bueckers, who is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick at Monday's WNBA draft, has agreed to a three-year contract to join the 3-on-3 women's basketball league, Unrivaled, according to ESPN.
Bueckers signed an NIL deal with Unrivaled ahead of its inaugural season that included equity in the league. Although she didn't suit up and play in the league in its first year, she's agreed to play in it next season.
As such, Bueckers will collect a lucrative pay check from the 3-on-3 league. Unrivaledaverages a salary of $220,000 per player, according to reports. According to ESPN's Kendra Andrews, Bueckers' first-year salary playing in Unrivaled would be worth more than her entire four-year rookie contract in the WNBA. Bueckers is projected to be selected by the Dallas Wings with the No. 1 pick, which would see her earn a rookie salary of $78,831 in her first season, a figure that would scale upwards throughout the duration of her rookie contract.
Signing Bueckers, as well as Caitlin Clark and three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson were considered "priorities" for the league following the conclusion of its inaugural season, and they've managed to secure a deal with Bueckers on the eve of the WNBA draft.
The 23-year-old is fresh off of leading UConn to a national championship. In her final season in college, the superstar guard averaged 19.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting at a 53.4% clip from the field and 41.9% from three-point range.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paige Bueckers Makes Decision on Multi-Year Deal to Join Unrivaled Basketball League.
