From borrowing her mom’s credit card to a $1.5 million net worth, WNBA star Paige Bueckers wasn’t prepared for 'super fast' NIL financial jump

Paige Bueckers holds a blue and white basketball on her shoulder that reads, "Intuit for education." (Credit: Courtesy of Intuit)

• WNBA 2025 No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers said she wasn’t prepared for the rapid financial success she had in college. Following a landmark 2021 Supreme Court decision that paved the way for student-athletes to benefit from name, image, and likeness deals, Bueckers went from borrowing her mom’s credit card for food, clothes, and gas to having an estimated net worth of $1.5 million.

As a freshman at the University of Connecticut, Paige Bueckers blew through her college stipend so fast that she turned to her mother for financial support.