In a groundbreaking move reshaping women’s basketball economics, No. 1 WNBA draft pick Paige Bueckers has signed with 3-on-3 league Unrivaled. The UConn star, who previously secured equity in the league, will earn more in her first 10 weeks of the Unrivaled season than her entire four-year WNBA rookie contract with the Dallas Wings.
Basketball analysts call this a transformative moment for women’s basketball. With Unrivaled generating $27 million in first-year revenue, Bueckers’ business acumen is being praised across sports media. The deal creates a new pathway for female athletes to build wealth while staying in the United States.
Paige Bueckers’ Business Savvy Impresses Stephen A. Smith
Stephen A. Smith praised Bueckers’ financial foresight, stating, “You got to give major props to Paige Beckers because her business acumen investing in Unrivaled before she arrives there with an NIL deal having equity in the league that’s a big deal.”
Smith highlighted the stark contrast between Bueckers’ WNBA “salary for this upcoming season is a little over 78,000 in year one” and Unrivaled’s average player salary of approximately $200,000 for just a 10-week season.
The ESPN analyst emphasized that “only 18 players have topped a million dollars in career earnings on the court, topped by Skylar Diggin Smith at $1.56 million.” This makes Bueckers’ arrangement particularly significant in women’s basketball compensation.
Unrivaled Creating New Financial Pathways
Shannon Sharpe celebrated the development, saying, “I’m happy for these young women that they’re getting the opportunity to make some real, real serious money.” He praised league founders, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, noting, “They need to be commended for coming up with this idea.”
Unrivaled features six teams and 36 players, with games broadcast on TNT. Bueckers’ entire four-year WNBA rookie contract totals just $348,198, while her reported first-year Unrivaled salary exceeds $330,000.
Chiney Ogwumike called Unrivaled “an incubator” where “you find businesses, and you find brands that can supplement what this moment potentially can be for women’s basketball players.”
Also Read: With Paige Bueckers Gone, Who Will Be the Next Face of Women’s College Basketball?
The league addresses a key issue for WNBA players who traditionally played overseas during the offseason. As Sharpe noted now, “They don’t have to go overseas and go to China or Russia or wherever else they have to go. They can stay right here.”
Bueckers’ combination of player salary, equity stake, and endorsements establishes a new model for athlete entrepreneurship. Smith observed, “She’s showing not only that she’s a champion on the court but she has incredible potential to be a champion literally off the court as well, using the court to buffer her own cache.”
Post-draft, Bueckers expressed “an overwhelming sense of gratitude” and commitment to “growing the game and giving players what they deserve.” Her approach may inspire other rookies and could pressure the WNBA to address salary disparities in upcoming CBA negotiations.
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