Paige Bueckers is officially coming back to Unrivaled on a multi-year contract. Seriously, this isn’t just another signing; it means the 3×3 women’s basketball league locked down one of its premier talents right when its valuation exploded to a mind-blowing $650 million this week. This 23-year-old point guard is a force, and her return to Breeze BC feels like a massive statement.
The Breeze Just Got Stronger
Last season, Bueckers was an absolute beast for Breeze BC, averaging over 22 points and five assists. That kind of production earned her First-Team All-Unrivaled honors, so it’s no shocker that she’s reposting the news on Instagram with a hyped-up “Breeezeeeee.” She’ll rejoin the team this winter, and honestly, who wouldn’t be hyped for that? Her teammate, Courtney Williams, is also back, making Breeze BC a squad to watch. You know those young post talents Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson, and Dominique Malonga are going to feed off that energy. And with fan-favorite Kate Martin and Fever guard Aari McDonald still around, this Breeze team is stacked and ready to make some noise.
Unrivaled’s Skyrocketing Empire
This league, co-founded in 2023 by UConn alums Naphessa Collier and Breanna Stewart, was always about giving WNBA players a domestic option for off-season hoops. But nobody could’ve predicted this kind of growth. Bueckers was a visionary from the jump, signing a groundbreaking NIL deal back in August 2024. That made her the *first* NCAA student-athlete to get an ownership equity stake in a professional sports league. A year later, she committed to play for three years. Now, that equity has absolutely skyrocketed, with the league nearly *doubling* last year’s valuation to a staggering $650 million. They recently wrapped a Series C fundraising round that brought in some serious heavy hitters, too: UConn coach Geno Auriemma, NBA legends Carmelo Anthony and Trae Young, and even Ashton Kutcher are all on board. That’s some serious star power backing this thing.
The only bummer is that Azzi Fudd, Bueckers’ former UConn teammate, won’t be joining the action this winter. She’s opted for global startup Project B, which is a bit of a missed connection. Still, Unrivaled’s season tips off in early January, and it’s expanding fast. They already set an attendance record for a regular-season women’s basketball venue in Philadelphia this year and are rolling out to eight different venues across the country for the 2027 campaign. This league is growing, it’s attracting huge talent, and with Bueckers signed for the long haul, things are looking absolutely wild for women’s basketball. Get ready, because Unrivaled is just getting started.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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