Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are clearly the fresh new faces of the WNBA. Clark has a $28 million Nike deal and 2.6 million Instagram followers. Reese has deals with Mercedes and Reebok, among others, and 3.4 million in her IG crew Those numbers rule the WNBA landscape and the attendance and ratings when these two competitors step on the court is all the way up.
There’s another women’s college player that is next up for the same kind of fame and fortune and media interest that Clark and Reese are currently enjoying.
Paige Bueckers Is the Next Women’s Basketball Cash Cow
UConn’s sharp-shooting guard Paige Bueckers has 1.9 million IG followers and plays for the most storied program in women’s hoops history. She’s already a celebrity within certain circles, and among Gen Z her persona and her story has transcended basketball.
Paige has a biracial brother named Drew, and she’s been vocal about issues such as systemic racism.
So while people may find it odd for her to be hanging out and spot-hopping with a world famous rapper and his friends, she is very comfortable around people of color.
Bueckers Hanging Out With Rap Star A Boogie
Beyond that, who wouldn’t want to hang out with A Boogie after a concert in which he sold out the Xfinity Theatre, Connecticut’s livest amphitheater, and had NLE Choppa, Luh Tyler and Byron Messia on the bill?
Reportedly, A Boogie asked the projected No. 1 player in the 2025 WNBA draft to join him on the after-journey. He was as much a fan of Paige as she was him. Only difference is he has the bag right now, as his estimated net worth is somewhere between $5 million to $7 million.
In terms of valuation, Bueckers entered the 2023-24 season with the fourth-highest NIL valuation among women’s basketball players, likely in the six- to seven-figure range, according to Sporting News. She’s doing well for a college kid with her Nike affiliation, but the big money is on the horizon. For now, everything is on the rap star.
Bueckers was initially in the crowd and reportedly worked her way backstage. She was also sporting her power pecs, looking fit and ready to do damage in her senior season. If not for the ACL injury she suffered that cost her the 2022-23 season, she would already be in the W.
Angel Reese Seen With Rapper G Herbo In His Tesla Cybertruck
Paige is moving up in the world, but when it comes to immersing herself in the culture, she will always have competition from Chi Barbie, aka Angel Reese, who is already a most sought-after companion of Chicago’s most notable rappers.
Reportedly after her breakout 25-point, 16-rebound performance against Caitlin Clark on Sunday, Reese was seen with rapper G Herbo in his Tesla Cybertruck in Chicago, sparking speculation and discussion on social media about their relationship.
Reese knows how to stay in the social media matrix and also doesn’t mind mixing it up with rappers and other entertainer types. When asked about this developing rapper/WNBA player social trend, sports guru Champ told The Shadow League, “Those girls better be safe out there.”
G Herbo Gang Affiliated?
A Boogie isn’t noted for his gang affiliations, but G Herbo is a Chicago rapper, so based on the history of rappers in that city he is not safe from becoming a target.
He’s been rumored to be associated with N.L.M.B., which was originally formed from the merger of No Limit, a renegade faction of the Almighty Black P. Stone Nation, and the Muskegon Boyz, a renegade faction of the Gangster Disciples, although the initials N.L.M.B. are also currently used by the gang to signify “Never Leave My Brothers,” and “No Limit Muskegon Boys.”
One can hope Reese is moving intelligently around those Chi-Town streets.
Bueckers Shoots Hoops, Hits Casino With Rapper A Boogie
After the concert wrapped, Bueckers was spotted by video putting up shots with the Bronx, New York, rapper and neither seemed to be in top form. I was expecting Bueckers to show him a thing or two after he clanged one off the front rim, but she proceeded to do the same thing with a shot that was short front of rim. The video cut after those initial hoists, so we don’t know who won the impromptu shooting exhibition.
Definitely one of those, “Shoot the cameraman moments”
The party didn’t end at the basketball courts. Buecker went to the casino with A Boogie and his entourage and they shot craps while just kicking it.
Millions of viewers were interested in the videos showing the next new hot girl in women’s hoops hook up with an artist who has remained near the top of the game since winning Best New Artists at the BET Awards in 2018,
The girl from Storrs, Connecticut, via Edina, Minnesota, meets the kid from High Bridge houses in the Bronx. It’s a deadly combination of Gen Z star power and gives us insight into the journey that Paige Bueckers is about to go on.
Paige Buckets Is A Rising Star On and Off The Court
Anybody nicknamed “Paige Buckets” is destined for stardom. Bueckers was ESPN’s No. 1-ranked recruit in the nation coming out of Hopkins High School in Minnesota after receiving national high school player of the year honors.
In her inaugural season at the title factory, Bueckers immediately established herself by becoming the first freshman to earn a major national women’s college player of the year award, winning all four for which she was eligible.
In leading UConn to the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA tournament, Bueckers broke records for assists by a freshman. Bueckers battled a left knee injury in her sophomore season and missed the majority of the campaign, but still managed to lead UConn to the national championship game. The ACL shelved her in 2022, but she returned last season to regain her All-America status and lead the Huskies to another Final Four.
This is also a player who has represented her country numerous times in various international competitions and won three gold medals at the youth level of FIBA World Cup play and 3×3.
Paige Bueckers Has One Last Shot To Win NCAA Title
The Huskies’ improbable postseason run was snapped by Iowa in the Final Four. UConn was too beat up to hang with the big dogs. But now Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin are gone from Iowa. Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith are no longer at LSU.
This could be a season where UConn gets back to the top of the mountain, with all eyes on Bueckers. If her running mate Azzi Fudd, 6-foot-5 Egyptian center Jana El Alfy develops further, and Sarah Strong – the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2024 — impacts immediately, who knows how this story will turn out for “Paige Buckets.”
Everybody, even the casual fan, is always looking for the next best thing and Bueckers is positioning herself to be a big-time brand on and off the court.
