"They’re comfortable with being uncomfortable": UConn's Paige Bueckers sees Kyle Kuzma, Russell Westbrook and more as her fashion influencers
Paige Bueckers has one of the best games in NCAA women’s basketball and an even better one when it comes to fashion. The 22-year-old loves a carefree and comfortable look but does not shy away from dressing up for a gala, as indicated in her lilac KidSuper suit during the 2024 ESPYs.
While her outfits and fit choices remain unique, Bueckers' inspiration boards transcend beyond just the WNBA. When asked about the names in an exclusive interview with Allure, she named Russell Westbrook and Kyle Kuzma as her favorite fashion bearers on the men's side of the big league.
“For me, it's [incredible] to see how much the WNBA has really embraced the fashion aspect," she said. "The walk that you do before the game, the tunnel fits, the WNBA has not shied away from it.
"They really embraced expressing themselves in the way that they walk, and in what they wear. Diamond DeShields is a huge fashion inspo and Arike Ogunbowale and Natasha Cloud.
"On the men's side, it's Kyle Kuzma and Russell Westbrook because they wear things that people on Twitter are going to clown them for," Bueckers revealed.
One of the reasons behind Paige Bueckers' siding for Westbrook and Kuzma is their unapologetic attitudes:
"But they’re comfortable with being uncomfortable, trying different things and not necessarily going with the trends and what everybody [else is doing]."
Paige Bueckers' hair is braided by a friend or her UConn teammates
Apart from her outfits, Paige Bueckers' staple game-day braids have grown to be a signature look. While speaking to Allure, she revealed that her braids are done either by her friend Kayla or her UConn Huskies teammates, as she doesn't know how to do them herself. There onwards, she likes to apply a hair gel wax stick to make the French braids sleek.
With that, due to lack of time for her hair in light of her basketball pursuits, Paige Bueckers has been coloring her hair blonde since eighth grade. Until now, when her quest to experiment led her to join forces with the hair color brand Madison Reed, through which she opted to dye her hair pink.
Since the brand boats non-permanent shades that last up to 25 washes, there is a chance Bueckers might switch up to a different palette altogether at the start of the season.