Paige Bueckers has made it clear she is not treating this WNBA offseason as downtime.
While league officials and the players’ union continue negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement, the Dallas Wings star has stayed visible, competitive and intentional through her play in the Unrivaled league in Miami.
Rather than letting the moment drift, Bueckers has embraced the chance to keep women’s basketball front and centre.
Alongside a strong group of WNBA players, she has helped Unrivaled establish itself as a meaningful offseason platform, one that blends high-level competition with visibility and purpose.
That approach paid off on January 19, when Bueckers earned the 50,000-dollar prize attached to Unrivaled‘s inaugural free throw challenge.
She then chose to donate the money to the Hopkins Education Foundation, reinforcing a long-standing connection to her hometown and the people who shaped her journey.
Strength, contact and a nickname she can live with
During the TNTUnrivaled broadcast, Bueckers joined the coverage team for a mid-game conversation that offered insight into what she has been working on most this offseason. Former WNBA champion Renee Montgomery praised her decision to donate the prize money before asking about her increased ability to get to the free throw line.
“I think just being able to get stronger in the offseason and invite contact more,” Bueckers said. “I think that’s been a huge focus for me. And even on the mid-range pull ups, just trying to get the shoulder bump into more space, create space, and get fouled on the release, but getting to the paint more, trying to get to the free throw line more.”
The comments reflected a deliberate shift. Known early in her career for efficiency, touch and shot making, Bueckers has added strength and physicality to her approach, understanding that embracing contact often separates good scorers from elite ones.
That adjustment has not gone unnoticed. Bueckers revealed that her success at the line has earned her a new label around the league.
“Now everybody’s calling me a free throw merchant,” she said. “So we got to take the wins and the losses.”
quickly reframed the nickname as a compliment rather than criticism, calling it an “MVP term” and pointing to reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as another star who carries the same label.
“I’ll take it,” Bueckers replied.
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