UConn star Paige Bueckers' lack of popularity in tourney has racial component to it, ex-NBA player suggests

UConn Huskies women’s hoops prima Paige Bueckers has performed astatine a precocious level during the NCAA Tournament and astir precocious scored 40 points successful a Sweet 16 crippled against Oklahoma.

Anyone who had been pursuing Bueckers since the opening of her collegiate vocation knows that games similar the 1 against the Sooners were par for the course. She dropped 34 points against South Dakota State successful the 2nd circular arsenic well.

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UConn guards Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers connected the seat against Arkansas State successful the archetypal circular of the NCAA tournament, Saturday, March 22, 2025, successful Storrs, Connecticut (AP Photo/Jessica Hil;)

But her popularity has yet to skyrocket similar Caitlin Clark’s erstwhile the sharpshooter was winning games astatine Iowa and mounting NCAA records successful scoring. Former NBA halfway Etan Thomas suggested successful a file for The Guardian past week determination were a fewer reasons for that.

Thomas wrote that Bueckers’ associations with Black radical and the deficiency of a alleged "Black villain" to contend with successful the NCAA Tournament affected however White radical saw the Huskies guard. He pointed to Bueckers’ determination to shoutout Black women during her ESPYs code successful 2021 arsenic the commencement of it.

"Meanwhile, determination has been nary Black villain for Bueckers to vie against," Thomas wrote, alluding to Clark’s on-court rivalry with LSU standout Angel Reese. "The information that that has meant she has gained little attraction and adoration from mediate America says a batch astir the authorities of the country."

UConn defender Paige Bueckers runs done the pupil conception astatine Gampel Pavilion aft a crippled against South Dakota State successful the 2nd circular of the NCAA tournament, Monday, March 24, 2025, successful Storrs. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

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Thomas claimed radical who didn’t person an involvement successful women’s hoops each of a abrupt became fans for each the "worst reasons," adding that "they were determination to cheer Clark’s Whiteness, and onslaught Reese’s Blackness, not their talent."

He past wrote that Bueckers’ determination to navigator for her Muslim teammates during Ramadan, sing gospel songs and has a Black stepmother and stepsiblings supposedly "simply doesn’t beryllium good with ‘that definite demographic,’ who embraced Clark and championed her for the "wrong reasons."

Bueckers is averaging 19.8 points, 4.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. She’s a portion of a sorority of legendary Huskies players who person travel earlier her, though she’s missing the 1 happening large alumni similar Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Breanna Stewart person – a nationalist title.

UConn defender Paige Bueckers passes the shot during the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tourney against Oklahoma, Saturday, March 29, 2025, successful Spokane, Washington. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

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It’s apt that Bueckers volition beryllium the No. 1 prime of the WNBA Draft and it volition beryllium amusive to ticker her spell up against Clark, Reese, Cameron Brink, Arike Ogunbowale, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and others erstwhile she takes the tribunal successful the pros. 

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