After recently announcing her return to UConn for an extra year, Huskies ace Paige Bueckers had more reason to rejoice as she nabbed a NIL deal with audio equipment company Bose.
The talented Bueckers announced the deal with the American company, which is worth $6 billion, on her Instagram page on Wednesday with the caption:
"Locked in."
Bueckers became the first student-athlete to sign a name, image and likeness deal when she partnered with Gatorade in 2021. Her On3 NIL valuation stands at $652,000, ranking the combo guard fifth in college basketball.
Paige Bueckers' NIL portfolio is still going strong
Paige Bueckers has had two separate ACL injuries. After a stellar first season in college basketball for the UConn Huskies, where she won several individual accolades, the nightmare with injuries began.
However, her NIL portfolio has stayed strong even when she's been unavailable for selection by coach Geno Auriemma.
Bueckers has several NIL deals and was the first athlete to nab a partnership with Gatorade in 2021. Among others, she has endorsements with Nerf, Nike, Leaf Trading Cards, Crocs, Bose, The Players Trunk and GoArmy.
During an interview with CT Insider, Bueckers revealed her consternation at all the NIL deals she has signed over the years.
“I didn’t know I could have this impact,” Bueckers said. “NIL was new for me and for everybody when it came in super-fast. So, to see all the things that I can do to help give back is crazy. I just didn’t really know I could do all this stuff, especially as a freshman in college when NIL became possible.
“To be able to partner with these organizations and brands and for us to collaborate ideas it’s pretty cool to see.”
After she championed Nike's GT Hustle shoe at the start of the season, Paige Bueckers finally became a Nike athlete on a multi-year deal late last year.
“Joining the Nike family is a childhood dream come true,” she said during the announcement. “I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together on and off the court.”
The founder of Advance NIL, Courtney Altemus, explained why Paige Bueckers remained such a marketable player even during her injury-enforced absence.
“Nike isn't going to come along and basically, just sign some big deal because Paige was a great high school player, and then started off with a great college career,” Altemus said. “She's much more than that elite athlete on the court. She's this elite individual.
“These types of athletes are athletes that the entire universe of young girls playing their sports, they're watching. And Nike recognizes that. And they recognize that the growth in women's sports has been recently exponential and it's gonna grow even more.
“And there are parents of these young girls who are athletes watching Paige Bueckers who are gonna go out and buy those shoes.”
With her latest NIL partnership with Bose, Paige Buecker's NIL portfolio shows no signs of thinning, especially due to her confirmed return to college basketball instead of declaring for the 2024 WNBA draft.
