Paige Bueckers’ association with Nike started when she was with the UConn Huskies. The apparel giants gave her the first player-exclusive colorway in the Nike GT Hustle 3.
The collaboration took one step forward on Friday at the WNBA All-Star festivities in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. In the morning, Nike dropped a teaser of their new sneaker, writing:
“Buckets incoming.”
Buckets incoming. pic.twitter.com/Y9oy8ICliP
— Nike Basketball (@nikebasketball) July 18, 2025
Shortly after that, pictures started circulating with Bueckers debuting the Nike GT Cut 4. The Dallas Wings rookie also confirmed the same about these new sneakers.
EXCLUSIVE: Paige Bueckers confirms that she debuted the Nike GT Cut 4 🪣 @paigebueckers1 pic.twitter.com/lORVC3CAbR
— Sole Retriever (@SoleRetriever) July 18, 2025
Fans on the internet were divided into two sections. Some were praising and showed excitement about the new drop, while others got frustrated.
“If it’s not Caitlin Clark shoes we not interested bye”, wrote a clearly annoyed fan.
“Nike’s 2025 strategy: Ignore the most marketable athlete in women’s basketball and hand out shoe deals like participation trophies. Bold move,” one fan wrote, taking a target at Nike for not dropping something related to Caitlin Clark.
“If it ain’t CC we don’t want it. End of story,” another added.
“Drop Cade signature shoe,” another fan had a different request.
Many came out in support and were excited to buy this new drop whenever it’s available.
“we don’t hv to wait till sophomore szn,” one fan commented.
“Oh that’s why she was at the Nike party for so long 😭😭,” one fan added.
“NEED THEM,” one fan said.
Paige Bueckers’ Nike Signature Shoe Made History
In December, Paige Bueckers became the first NCAA NIL athlete to launch a Nike Player Edition basketball shoe: the G.T. Hustle 3 Paige Bueckers Player Edition. The shoe was well customized to highlight Bueckers’ Minnesota and UConn roots. The sneaker had their area codes on them.
Moreover, the sneaker also had an embroidered “Buckets” heel nod (her nickname) and a motivational message from her father:
“Be You, Be Great.”
These sneakers were built with a double-stacked Air Zoom system and a Radial Knit upper. It’s designed for both style and performance, specifically for women athletes. This shoe dropped on SNKRS and select stores on December 7.
The Swoosh label also revealed Nike Sabrina 2 “Paige Bueckers”, and even this was well-received in the sneaker community. At the 2025 WNBA draft, Bueckers addressed whether a signature shoe is in the works. She said:
“Yeah, I have no idea. Based off staying in the moment, I haven’t even thought about those conversations, nor have we started those. But there’s a lot of people in line for that who deserve it as well. So, whatever happens in the future, we’ll see.”
Bueckers is coming off winning the national championship with the UConn Huskies and has already made it to the All-Star game in her rookie season with the Dallas Wings. Nike will try to release her signature shoe as quickly as possible in order to capitalize on her fan base.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
