GettyPaige Bueckers addresses the media after an April 5 loss.
Paige Bueckers has spoken out for the first time since the unauthorized posting of photos of the UConn star hit the news on April 21.
“The devil works hard but God and the people around me work WAY harder. The outpouring of love and support from the WBB community is unreal. Love yall. Support women in sport ALWAYS,” Bueckers wrote in an April 23 X post that had 2.9 million views within 15 hours.
The devil works hard but God and the people around me work WAY harder. The outpouring of love and support from the WBB community is unreal. Love yall. Support women in sport ALWAYS🫶🏼
Bueckers’ post is vague, but many believe it was a reaction to the sharing of altered photos of her and fellow basketball icon Caitlin Clark.
Heavy was not able to confirm the authenticity of the alleged images. Posts on social media viewed by Heavy indicate the photos of the basketball stars began surfacing on X on April 21, with users claiming to have links to view the images.Posts on a subreddit dedicated to Clark and to posting photos of WNBA players were removed for violating the social media site’s rules.
A message on a subreddit dedicated to Bueckers now reads, “r/paigebueckers is banned
This subreddit was banned due to a violation of Reddit’s rules against non-consensual intimate media.”
Bueckers is a 22-year-old guard on the UConn women’s basketball team. She averaged 21.9 points per game last season for the Huskies. And she is currently projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, according to multiple outlets.
Social Media Rallied Behind Bueckers
On April 22, WNBAandwomen’s college basketball fans flooded social media with positive posts of Clark and Bueckers in an effort to make the unauthorized photos harder to find.
HBCU Go sideline reporter Courtney Tate posted, “To everyone who flooded the Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers search with their highlights this morning, thank you. To the few weirdos in this world, y’all are sick.”
One such post wasa video of Bueckers’ 2021 ESPYs speech, after she won the award for Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports.
Bueckers’ speech was praised for how she addressed racial bias in women’s sports.
Paige Bueckers ESPY speech is the best
“With the light that I have now, as a white woman who leads a Black-led sport and is celebrated here, I want to show a light on Black women,” Bueckers said. “They don’t get the media coverage that they deserve.
“They’ve given so much to this sport and the community and society as a whole and their value is undeniable,” Bueckers added. “In the WNBA last season, the postseason awards, 80% of the winners were Black. But they got half the amount of coverage as the white athletes.
“I think its time for change, sports media holds the key to storylines. Sports media and sponsors tell us who is valuable. And you have told the world that I matter today.”
Angel Reese Came to Paige Bueckers’ & Caitlin Clark’s Defense
Chicago Sky rookie and former LSU standout Angel Reese appeared to defend her peers via X on April 22.
“protect young women in sports!!!” Reese wrote in a post that racked up 7.3 million views.
protect young women in sports!!!
Reese then retweeted anotherX user who wrote, “We want all women to feel safe, loved, & respected. But y’all really gotta start listening when black women say ‘HEY THIS IS HAPPENING…’ Cuz that girl JUST sat her behind up there & told yall she was being sexualized.”
This post alludes to an April 2 quote from the LSU superstar. After her last college game, Reese said, “I’ve been through so much. I’ve seen so much. I’ve been attacked so many times. Death threats, I’ve been sexualized, so many things and I’ve stood strong. Every single time. I just try to stand strong for my teammates because I don’t want them to see me down and not be there for them.”
Now Reese and the rest of college basketball are working to ensure the same doesn’t happen to Bueckers and Clark.
Grant Young covers Major League Baseball, college basketball and the WNBA for Heavy.com. His sports coverage has also been featured at FanBuzz and NY Fights. More about Grant Young
FAQs
Bueckers' father, Bob Bueckers, is a software engineer and played high school basketball as a point guard. Her mother, Amy Fuller (née Dettbarn), represented the University of St. Thomas in cross country and track and field. When Bueckers was three years old, her parents divorced.
Where is Paige Bueckers from? ›
Born in Edina, Minnesota, and now resides in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Daughter of Amy Dettbarn and Bob Bueckers; has two younger brothers, Ryan and Drew, and one younger sister, Lauren.
What grade is Paige Bueckers in? ›
Bueckers is a redshirt junior with the Huskies. The 22-year-old is listed as one of four juniors on UConn's roster, joined by Caroline Ducharme, Azzi Fudd, and Aubrey Griffin, per UConn's athletic department.
Are Jalen Suggs and Paige Bueckers friends? ›
What's more, they're all tight friends. Holmgren and Suggs were teammates at Minnehaha Academy before each starred for one season with the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Jalen Suggs and Paige Bueckers have known each other since fourth grade when Buecker's brother played alongside Suggs in the youth team.
How many points does Paige Bueckers average? ›
As a Sophom*ore (2021-22): Played in 17 games with 13 starts ... averaged 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game ... had 14 points and six rebounds in NCAA Championship game vs. South Carolina (4/3) ... scored 14 points and added five assists vs.
How many years of eligibility does Paige Bueckers have left? ›
Bueckers has two years of eligibility remaining. Edwards, Muhl and Griffin each have one. As international players, Muhl (Croatia) and Edwards (Canada) also have not been able to make the NIL money that has been flowing to their teammates while in college.
How much do Paige Bueckers make in NIL? ›
Paige Bueckers, G, UConn
With partners like Dunkin', Nike, Bose, and Gatorade, Bueckers has amassed a reported $652,000 in NIL earnings.
Can Paige Bueckers come back? ›
UConn star to return for 2024-25 college season. After two seasons marred by injury, UConn guard Paige Bueckers returned to the floor in 2023-24 and reminding the basketball world of how special she is.
Is Paige Bueckers an All American? ›
Bueckers is the 2023-24 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. After missing the 2022-23 season to injury, Bueckers returned in impressive fashion in 2023-24. She was named a WBCA, USBWA and Wooden Award First Team All-American.
Why didn t Paige Bueckers play? ›
UConn lost six players for the season due to injury, including star Azzi Fudd and fifth-year senior Aubrey Griffin. Bueckers dazzled in her first full season since an August 2022 ACL injury sidelined her for all of 2022-23.
Clark continued her academic success in her college career at the University of Iowa. While becoming the leading scorer in college basketball history, the superstar sharpshooter maintained a 3.64 GPA and was named the Academic All-America Team Member of the Year two years in a row.
Does Paige Bueckers have a black brother? ›
Bueckers also uses her social media platforms to draw attention to racism, police brutality, and social injustice. It's personal for Bueckers, whose younger brother Drew is Black. She captioned a carousel of photos of Drew promising, “I'm going to work for change, little brother.
Which knee did Paige Bueckers tear? ›
Bueckers tore the ACL in her left knee during a pickup game in August 2022. She had problems in that knee prior to the ACL injury, including a tibial plateau fracture and meniscus tear that kept her out of action for almost three months during the 2021-22 season.
Is Paige Bueckers mom a dentist? ›
Paige Bueckers' mother
The UConn Basketball Star's mother, Amy Fuller Dettbarn, is a dentist and former college athlete; she used to run cross country and track and field. Fuller graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences in 1999.
Who are Juju Watkins' parents? ›
Juju's father Robert-Neal Watkins used to play football during his time in college. On the other hand, Juju's mother Sari is a former college-level track and field athlete. However, there is not enough knowledge about the career she pursued after college or does today.
Are Caitlin Clark's parents married to each other? ›
Caitlin's parents appear to still be married—there hasn't been any information to suggest that they aren't. Both regularly attend Caitlin's games and sit near one another. Caitlin says her parents "balance each other really well," per ESPN.
Where is Juju Watkins originally from? ›
SHAPIRO: Watkins is from Southern California, from the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts. JuJu's great-grandfather established the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, an anti-poverty nonprofit, after the 1965 Watts riots. She volunteered there as a kid, and that's all part of her decision to attend USC.
