WATCH: UConn star Paige Bueckers reveals her favorite basketball player of all time and it's not Michael Jordan
UConn Huskies forward Paige Bueckers stole the show at the 2024 ESPYS Awards with her glamorous outfit. She wore KidSuper's purple runway suit, featuring one of their embroidered face doodles.
During the show, ESPN interviewed Bueckers and asked her a series of questions, including who her favorite athlete was growing up. To many people's surprise, she did not pick Michael Jordan
"I would say LeBron," Bueckers replied.
This is not the first time she mentioned LeBron James as her favorite athlete growing up. Bueckers has been a longtime fan of the four-time NBA champion. Besides, she also gets inspired by eight-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving and WNBA legends Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.
Paige Bueckers, a potential top pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, was nominated for the Best Comeback Athlete Award at the ESPYS.
Bueckers missed the entirety of the 2022–23 season due to an ACL injury but made a comeback to the court the following season even stronger. The 6-foot point guard averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
At the event, Bueckers was left starstruck by 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who was hosting the show.
"I mean I just saw Serena Williams walk on the red carpet and I was like woah that's crazy," Bueckers said.
Paige Bueckers says golf is her new passion off the court
Paige Bueckers, a two-time Big East Player of the Year, surprised many when asked what sport she would choose besides basketball.
"I'm getting into golf a little bit," Bueckers said.
Bueckers often spares time in her hectic schedule to play golf. Bueckers, along with UConn teammates Azzi Fudd, Ashlynn Shade, Aubrey Griffin, and Kaitlyn Chen, participated in the Connecticut Children's Pediatric Center's 21st Annual Geno for the Kids Charity Golf Tournament in June of this year.
During the outing, Paige Bueckers displayed her putting skills and shared a photo from the golf club on her Instagram story.
"Listen to that beauty," Bueckers wrote.
Apart from basketball and golf, Bueckers has shown interest in building Lego blocks. She once compared head coach Geno Auriemma to the Lego model of Carl Fredricksen from the movie 'Up' that she had built.
Bueckers also admitted that her teammate Ayanna Patterson was the best Lego builder on the Huskies roster.