"Paige Bueckers in her intern era": College hoops fans react to UConn star's "first day" on the Unrivaled job via TikTok
Paige Bueckers signed a unique name, image and likeness deal with Unrivaled in August. It is an upcoming 3x3 women's basketball league founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. The first rendition of Unrivaled is set to come next year, while Bueckers will join the action in 2026.
However, the UConn star is an active part of the league's marketing and promotion. Her latest stint is a phone call scene, where Bueckers is pretending to be an intern at Unrivaled, attending calls, solidifying her eventual participation, challenging people to a 1v1 and more.
"Not bad for my first day on the job 😌 The Future is Unrivaled collection out now! Link in the @Unrivaled Basketball bio 🤝," Bueckers captioned the video posted on Wednesday.
As Paige Bueckers posted the collaboration on her TikTok, fans stormed the comment section with their reactions.
"PAIGE IM BEGGING ONE NORMAL VIDEO," a fan wrote.
"Paige in her intern era," another commented.
"The eye rolling after the “1v1” question 😭," another fan wrote.
More fans joined in.
"Give me everything in every color idc I want it all 😊," a fan commented.
"I'VE SEEN ENOUGH GIVE HER HER OSCAR💜," another wrote.
"IM BEGGING FOR ANOTHER VIDEO THATS NOT AN ADD PAIGE," another fan commented.
Bueckers' NIL deal with Unrivaled makes her the first college athlete to receive ownership equity in a professional league. The 10-15% ownership pool is reportedly complemented by an undisclosed six-figure amount in salary.
Paige Bueckers becomes the first college athlete with signature shoes with Nike
Paige Bueckers debuted her Paige x Nike GT Hustle 3 sneakers against Louisville on Dec. 7. It made her the first college athlete to have a custom sneaker with Nike across all NCAA sports.
The shoes feature some of Bueckers’ favorite colors: white, baby blue, purple and fuchsia. It also pays homage to her basketball career so far, as her hometown Edina’s "612" area code and UConn’s Huskies "860" area code are mentioned on the tongue of the sneaker.
"There are so many details that make this shoe special to me,” Bueckers said about the shoes in a release. "This is the perfect colorway for me. I love baby blue and lavender, and the Radial Knit makes me feel fly."
Paige Bueckers extended the celebration by gifting coach Geno Auriemma and her UConn teammates a pair of her new sneakers. A lot of the Huskies players also wore the shoes during the game against Louisville.