All eyes are on Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers as she prepares to embrace the role of “the face of NCAA women’s basketball.” UConn’s versatile guard has developed an off-court persona that is as dynamic as her on-court presence, consistently supporting her current and former teammates and advocating for causes important to her.
Bueckers’ latest act of advocacy occurred at a recent WNBA game, where she previewed the league she is set to join in 2025, likely as the top draft pick. Her message resonated with both new and seasoned fans, emphasizing that women’s basketball is poised to leverage its growing cultural significance over the past year.
Bueckers—and everyone else—watches women’s sports.
On Tuesday, Bueckers was about 45 minutes from the Connecticut campus, attending the game at Mohegan Sun Arena where the Connecticut Sun faced off against the Washington Mystics. In April’s draft, the Mystics selected Bueckers’ college teammate, Aaliyah Edwards, with the sixth overall pick. Given the Mystics’ 0-9 record following their loss to the Sun, Washington is likely to be in a position to draft Bueckers herself in 2025.
As expected, cameras spotted Bueckers during the first half of the Sun’s 76-59 victory over the Mystics. She was seated with UConn guard KK Arnold and several other Huskies, taking advantage of the close proximity between Mohegan Sun Arena and UConn’s main campus.
Numerous individuals on social media promptly observed that Bueckers was sporting a shirt bearing the message “everyone watches women’s sports” — the prominent item from the apparel brand TOGETHXR, in which WNBA legend Sue Bird holds a partial ownership. Bird, a UConn alum and one of Bueckers’ inspirations as a player, is widely revered. Bueckers reinforced this sentiment by sharing a quote from the WNBA broadcast footage, along with the caption “everyone watches women’s sports,” thus reaffirming her position as a leading advocate for women’s basketball, alongside her exceptional performance as one of the sport’s top college players.
