Report: UConn’s Paige Bueckers to Make CBB History with Nike Player-Exclusive Sneaker
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVJuly 30, 2024
Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
UConn star Paige Bueckers is receiving her own player-exclusive edition of the Nike G.T. Hustle 3, according to Sole Retriever.
The senior guard is the first college basketball player to receive the honor. The shoe will drop Sept. 12 and retail for $120, per Sole Retriever.
B/R Kicks @brkicksPaige Bueckers will be getting her own Nike G.T. Hustle 3, per @soleretriever 👏
This will be the first time a college player would get their own player exclusive.
(Shoe shown is the model that’ll be used. Not actual colorway) pic.twitter.com/DTBIfcdHud
Bueckers signed an NIL deal with Nike ahead of the 2023-24 season. ESPN.com’s Michael Voepel reported at the time the partnership could extend into her pro career as well.
The 2021 National Player of the Year is widely considered to be the clear No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft. After injuries interrupted her sophomore campaign and a torn ACL kept her out for all of 2022-23, she reaffirmed her status as an elite talent this past season.
In 38 games, Bueckers averaged 22.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists. She also shot 53.0 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from beyond the arc. UConn advanced to the Final Four, losing to Caitlin Clark and Iowa.
In the past, Nike received criticism for its perceived lack of investment in its women’s basketball athletes. Many found it telling that Breanna Stewart, one of the WNBA’s biggest stars, left the apparel giant for Puma in 2021 and immediately received a commitment for her own signature shoe.
Now, the sneaker landscape looks much different across the women’s game. The New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu has a Nike signature shoe, while dedicated kicks are on the way for Clark and Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson.
With Bueckers getting a player-exclusive, it seems reasonable to conclude she could join that group at some point down the line.
