Paige Bueckers' strong message about women's basketball that resonates in the WNBA

All eyes are on Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers as she prepares to take on the title of "the face of NCAA women's basketball." UConn's do-it-all guard has cultivated an off-court persona as rich and varied as her on-court personality -- Bueckers routinely shows up for her current and former teammates while taking a stand on issues that matter to her.

Bueckers' newest instance of advocacy came at a recent WNBA game as she previews the league she is set to in 2025 -- likely as the top pick in the draft. The message resonated with fans new and old, making it clear that women's basketball is well-positioned to capitalize on its cultural rise over the past year.

Bueckers -- and everyone -- watches women's sports

Bueckers was roughly 45 minutes from the Connecticut campus on Tuesday, as she was in the crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena to watch the Connecticut Sun battle the Washington Mystics. In April's draft, the Mystics selected Bueckers' college teammate Aaliyah Edwards with the sixth overall pick -- and seeing as the Mystics' loss to the Sun dropped their record to 0-9, Washington will likely be in position to draft Bueckers herself in 2025.

Predictably, the cameras found Bueckers during the first half of the Sun's eventual 76-59 win over the Mystics. She was seated alongside UConn guard KK Arnold and several other Huskies, given the proximity between Mohegan Sun Arena and Connecticut's main campus.

Many on social media were quick to point out that Bueckers was wearing a shirt that read "everyone watches women's sports" -- the flagship product of apparel brand TOGETHXR, part-owned by WNBA legend Sue Bird, a UConn alum and one of Bueckers' inspirations as a player. Bueckers chimed in by quoting the WNBA broadcast footage and adding "everyone watches women's sports" -- thus reaffirming her status as one of women's basketball's top advocates, in addition to being one of its best players at the college level.