Connecticut guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts in double overtime against NC State during the East Regional final college basketball game of the NCAA women's tournament, Monday, March 28, 2022, in Bridgeport, Conn. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers made her commercial debut Monday in a TV spot for Gatorade.
In the minute-long clip, Bueckers is shown playing basketball with young girls and dancing with them as they celebrate after a player makes a basket. The commercial was filmed prior to Bueckers’ ACL injury last week. UConn announced last week the junior will miss the 2022-23 season with the injury after tearing her ACL in a pickup game on Aug. 1.
The commercial, called “All for Fun,” also includes stars Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves), Fernando Tatis Jr (San Deigo Padres), Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Sydney McLaughlin (Team USA Olympic hurdler) competing in their respective sports with kids. The spot highlights Gatorade’s latest campaign of “Fuel Tomorrow” which aims to celebrate the fun in sports and was developed by the National Alliance for Youth Sports.
Bueckers posted the commercial to her Instagram with the caption:
“I’m so grateful for all of the love and prayers over the last few days, and even though this week has been hard, this is a day I want to celebrate and share with you my first campaign with @gatorade. My love of the game is what brings me back to the court every time. It’s what inspires me to keep going. The message of this film is even more important to me now - reminding young athletes to have fun while playing the sports they love and to always keep chasing their dreams.”
A post shared by Paige (@paigebueckers)
In June, Bueckers teamed up with Gatorade to design a custom water bottle personalized with images from her career. Her bottle was part of the “Fuel Tomorrow Gx Collection” and also featured bottles designed by Lawrence, Tatis Jr. and McLaughlin.
Bueckers became the first collegiate athlete to sign with Gatorade last fall as part of her debut in the NIL sphere. She was named the 2019-20 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year as a senior in high school.
Maggie is a general assignment sports reporter for Hearst CT Media who focuses on highlighting the humanity within athletics with every feature. She comes to Connecticut after growing up and working all along the West Coast, including stops at The Seattle Times and The Orange County Register. Outside of writing, she enjoys spontaneous adventures, reading, hiking and visiting her family back home in Portland, Oregon.