The Blueprint: How Paige Bueckers Turned NIL Into Her Signature Move
By Darian Kelly
Last Updated on April 1, 2025
As Paige Bueckers gears up for her final NCAA tournament run, she’s not just chasing UConn’s 12th national title—she’s closing the book on one of the most decorated careers in women’s college basketball history. A former Naismith, Wooden, and AP Player of the Year, Bueckers has left her mark on the court and beyond.
Beauty & Skincare
Madison Reed
Before this year’s NCAA tournament tipped off, Bueckers partnered with Madison Reed to launch “UConnic Blonde,” the first hair color ever created for a female athlete. The campaign expanded on the brand’s earlier “Team ColorWonder” initiative, which gave UConn players both branding and entrepreneurial opportunities. Madison Reed pledged to donate a portion of UConnic Blonde sales to Good Sports Inc. and gifted $10,000 to UConn’s women’s basketball team.
CeraVe
Bueckers headlined the “Head of CeraVe” campaign alongside NBA star Anthony Davis and influencer Charli D’Amelio. CeraVe is a dermatologist-backed haircare line, and Bueckers brought her court presence to the spotlight during the commercial, showcasing her handles while discussing healthy hair habits.
Tech & Audio
Bose
While rehabbing from an ACL injury in 2022, Bueckers signed with Bose. Just ahead of this year’s March Madness, Bueckers and her teammate, Azzi Fudd, gifted their teammates Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones.
In a lighthearted NIL moment, Bueckers starred in Google Chrome’s “What’s In My Tabs” interview series. In it, she shared her browser habits and showed off how to restore closed tabs, playfully highlighting Chrome’s “What’s In My Tabs” campaign.
Intuit
Bueckers teamed up with Intuit to promote financial literacy among college students. As someone managing brand partnerships while navigating school and sports, she became a relatable face for a message to many college athletes.
CashApp
Giving back is core to Bueckers’ brand identity. She partnered with CashApp and launched the Paige Bueckers Foundation to support underserved families and social justice initiatives.
Chegg
Bueckers aligned with Chegg to help tackle the growing issue of student hunger. She started efforts in her hometown of Minneapolis. Chegg’s non-profit arm, Chegg.org, and Goodr, she supported a free grocery pop-up at the 2022 Final Four that served over 6,000 meals and continues to advocate for permanent food campuses.
Business Ventures
Unrivaled & Overtime
Bueckers entered an NIL agreement with Unrivaled last year. The premier professional women’s basketball three-on-three league was launched by UConn legends Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. She received an equity stake in the women’s league and will be eligible to compete once she turns pro.
She’s also a special advisor and investor in Overtime, the digital-first media platform transforming high school and college sports through storytelling, cementing her status as a brand visionary.
Collectibles
Panini America
Bueckers signed a one-of-a-kind trading card deal with Panini America. A lifelong card collector herself, she called the moment “really special,” basketball fans will now collect her card just like she once collected her heroes.
Apparel & Streetwear
Nike
Bueckers made history as the first collegiate athlete in the NIL era to design and release a Player Edition sneaker for the global apparel brand. The signature G.T. Hustle 3 drop was a full-circle moment for a lifelong Nike fan. “It’s surreal to have this Player Edition model,” she said. “I just want to show out in it.”
StockX
StockX became Bueckers’ first NIL deal in 2021. “My partnership with StockX is about equity and authenticity,” she told Forbes.
Crocs
Bueckers became a brand ambassador in 2022, announcing the deal across her social channels and helping to promote the brand’s lifestyle and performance styles.
Round21
Round21 and The Brandr Group were influential in helping Bueckers launch a streetwear brand featuring customer artwork by renowned visual artist Samantha Woj. Woj, known to use sports objects instead of paintbrushes in her creative process, used a basketball instead of a paintbrush to bring to life the artwork used in each product.
Food & Beverage
Dunkin Donuts
Bueckers partnered with Dunkin Donuts in November 2023 to drive fan engagement on campus through events and social content. As part of the campaign, Dunkin donated $25,000 to UConn’s Husky Harvest food pantry.
“I’m honored to be partnering with Dunkin to support our communities through a brand we all know and love,” Bueckers said.
Gatorade
Bueckers became the first collegiate athlete to sign a NIL deal with Gatorade in the summer of 2022. Alongside star athletes Trevor Lawrence and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Bueckers helped design the Gx Fuel Tomorrow Collection bottles, which merge athletic excellence with brand creativity.
Paige Bueckers has become the gold standard for athletes navigating the NIL era. She’s not just a generational talent—she’s a blueprint for the future of women’s sports, forever etched in UConn basketball history.
