PAIGE BUECKERS FELT JEALOUS WATCHING WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RISE

Paige Bueckers experienced feelings of jealousy whilst watching women's college basketball gain significant popularity during the 2022–23 season, when she was sidelined by knee injuries. The Dallas Wings player made the admission during an appearance on Sue Bird's podcast on Friday. Bueckers said she felt envious despite genuinely wanting others to succeed in the sport. She acknowledged that the experience was difficult because she had entered college with substantial expectation and had performed well as a freshman.

The NCAA women's basketball national championship final between Louisiana State and Iowa drew an average of 9.9 million viewers in 2023, representing a 103 per cent increase from the previous year's audience. Bueckers suffered an anterior tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear early in her sophomore season at the University of Connecticut. After a brief return, she tore her ACL in August 2022, which forced her to miss the entire 2022–23 season. As a freshman, Bueckers had won major National Player of the Year honours and led UConn to the Final Four.

Bueckers stated that she felt the momentum of women's basketball's growth was occurring without her whilst she underwent rehabilitation. She described being physically removed from the spotlight that accompanied the sport's expansion during that period. Bird noted during their conversation that Bueckers had arrived at university with significant hype attached to her name.