When Paige Bueckers set foot on UConn’s court, everybody got the memo that she was a headliner. In the years since, Paige Buckets has embarked on a career defined by highs and lows in equal measure, with everything you might imagine in between. From career-ending injuries to career-defining brilliance, Bueckers has done it all. But the one thing she hasn’t done — at least not yet — is win an NCAA championship. Will she eventually get the elusive title in the 2025 NCAA championship game? And as you bet, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie weighed in with her opinion.
Though the most successful team in the nation, the Huskies, led by Bueckers, will be in their first NCAA Championship appearance since 2022, and the focus is on her. Yet, among her many accolades that include three Big East Player of the Year awards and the prestigious Wade Trophy, there remains one glaring absence: a national championship. “Anything less than a national championship is really a disappointment,” Bueckers said — a reflection of just how much winning a title means to her.
Yet, WNBA icon Lisa Leslie sees it differently. Leslie, who didn’t win a national title during her USC career but thrived in the WNBA, insisted Bueckers’ legacy won’t come down to just that game either.
“It’s not that important. I am a great example of why it’s not important … I didn’t win a national championship in college,” Leslie said. “That was college, but there is a whole career beyond that.” That take, especially coming from someone like Leslie, is significant. No matter what happens in this last game, Leslie insists Bueckers will be just fine as she heads into the WNBA next and starts a whole new phase of her career.
“How important is a championship to Paige’s legacy at UCONN?”
The answer from @LisaLeslie may surprise you.
Presented by @TurboTax #Sponsored pic.twitter.com/ugHZd8L7PN
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) April 4, 2025
Bueckers is at a turning point heading into the final game. One path to take is to become a legend of college basketball with a national championship. The other, a promising WNBA career right there waiting for her. It’s a fitting end to a journey full of accomplishment and adversities. But if anything is certain, it’s that Bueckers is ready for whatever path she chooses.
Paige Bueckers’ Journey to College Basketball Greatness
Paige Bueckers’ UConn career has been filled with highlights, grit, and adversity. After coming to the Huskies as the No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2020, she immediately delivered. And got the nickname “Paige Buckets” for her scoring ability. During her freshman season, Bueckers made history. Buecker was the first freshman in NCAA women’s basketball history to win any major national player of the year awards, including the AP Player of the Year and the Wooden Award. She had led UConn back to the Final Four and set numerous records, including for assists by a freshman. She was also a unanimous first-team All-American.
NCAA, College League, USA Womens Basketball: Villanova at Connecticut Jan 22, 2025 Storrs, Connecticut, USA UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers 5 is recognized with head coach Geno Auriemma for her 2000 career points before the start of the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Storrs Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Connecticut USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xDavidxButlerxIIx 20250122_db2_sv3_017
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Bueckers’ sophomore campaign was derailed by a knee injury. A torn ACL sidelined her for the bulk of her junior year. Nevertheless, she returned to help steer UConn to back-to-back Final Four trips in 2024 and 2025. No one in BIG EAST history had done it—until Paige Bueckers came along. With her third Tournament Most Outstanding Player award, she etched her name in the record books, becoming the first ever to claim the honor three times. A legacy sealed not just with wins, but with moments that left no doubt: the spotlight was hers, and history followed.
Her senior season has been particularly outstanding. She was the fastest player to 2,000 career points in UConn history, dropped a career-high 40 points in an NCAA tournament win, and helped UConn capture yet another Big East title with her third Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player nod. But of all her accomplishments, there’s one goal that’s evaded her: a national title.
Leading up to the national championship game against South Carolina, Bueckers has maintained that a title would be a fitting end to her college career. The final game gives Bueckers one last chance to cement her position among UConn’s best players.
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