Paige Bueckers of UConn basketball to sign NIL deal with Unrivaled league and receive equity stake.

• Paige Bueckers of UConn will sign a NIL deal with Unrivaled, the new women's basketball league.
• She won't participate in the professional league until she completes her college studies next year.
• It is believed that she was the first college player to receive equity in a professional sports league.

Paige Bueckers of the University of Connecticut will sign a NIL deal with Unrivaled, according to sources.

It is believed that the athlete will become the first NCAA athlete to own a stake in a professional sports league due to more relaxed endorsement rules, allowing college players to pursue more business opportunities. No details about the deal have been disclosed.

Last year, the unrivaled league was founded by WNBA players Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. The league will commence in January, prior to the WNBA season.

The two-time NCAA All-American Bueckers is likely to be seen promoting the league, but will not play until she completes her college career at UConn, according to sources. In February, Bueckers announced that she would forgo the 2024 WNBA Draft to return to UConn for her senior season.

The U.S. was previously the only option for WNBA basketball players to earn additional income during their offseason, but now unrivaled has been established to provide players with the opportunity to play in the U.S. during their offseason.

All 30 players in the player-owned league receive equity stakes, with no one earning less than six figures. The current WNBA maximum salary is approximately $250,000 per season.

The league will feature six teams competing in 3-on-3 full-court play. The announced players in the league are Stewart, Collier, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces, Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings, and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky.

Geno Auriemma, Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, John Skipper, David Levy, and Ashton Kutcher are among the star-studded list of investors in the league.