Paige Bueckers

Bueckers was born in Edina, Minnesota and started playing basketball at age five.[1] As a child, she played Little League Baseball as a catcher, as well as football and soccer.[2][3] Bueckers was coached in basketball by her father until seventh grade.[4] She drew inspiration from National Basketball Association (NBA) players LeBron James and Kyrie Irving and Women's National Basketball Association players Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird.[2][5]

In seventh grade, Bueckers played for the tenth grade and junior varsity basketball teams at Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota.[6] Prior to her eighth-grade season, she grew four inches in a year.[7] She joined Hopkins' varsity team in eighth grade, starting in six games and averaging 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game.[8] She led her team in three-point shooting and ranked second in assists. Hopkins finished with a 28–3 record and a runner-up finish at the Class 4A state tournament, where Bueckers was named to the All-Tournament Team.[2][9]

Bueckers made her freshman season debut for Hopkins High School on November 25, 2016, recording 28 points, five steals and four assists in a 74–34 win over Osseo Senior High School.[9] That year, she assumed a more important role and became one of the team's leading scorers and passers.[10] As a freshman, Bueckers averaged 20.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 4.1 assists per game, earning All-Metro first team honors.[11] She led Hopkins to a 31–1 record, suffering her only loss to Elk River High School at the Class 4A state championship. Bueckers made the Class 4A All-Tournament Team.[12][13]

Bueckers handles the ball against Wayzata High School in January 2020.

In January 2018, as a sophomore, Bueckers was sidelined with an ankle injury that had been hurting her up to that point in the season.[14] She finished the season averaging 22.3 points, 6.8 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game.[15] Bueckers helped Hopkins to a 28–4 record but suffered her third straight loss at the Class 4A state title game, despite leading all scorers with 37 points.[16] She was named Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year, becoming the first sophomore to win the award since its creation 34 years earlier.[15] Bueckers was also recognized as Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year for athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.[17]

As a junior on February 1, 2019, Bueckers scored 43 points in a 69–66 win over Wayzata High School and surpassed 2,000 career points.[18] On March 16, she scored 13 points to win the Class 4A state championship, 74–45, over Stillwater Area High School avenging 3 consecutive losses in the Minnesota state title game.[19] Bueckers averaged 24.4 points, 5.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 4.6 steals per game, repeating as Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year and Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year.[20][21] She was additionally one of three finalists for the Gatorade National Player of the Year award. On January 29, 2020, during her senior season, Bueckers became the first female high school player to be featured on the cover of basketball magazine Slam.[22] As a senior, she led Hopkins to the Class 4A state championship, but the title game was canceled on March 13 amid the coronavirus pandemic.[23] Bueckers was selected to play at the McDonald's All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic, two prestigious high school all-star games, but both were canceled due to the pandemic.[24][25][26] She averaged 21.4 points, 9.4 assists, 5.4 steals and 5.0 rebounds per game, leading Hopkins to another undefeated season and 62 consecutive wins.[27] Bueckers was again honored as Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year, becoming the award's first three-time winner.[28] She was named Gatorade National Player of the Year,[29] Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award,[30] MaxPreps National Player of the Year,[31] Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year,[32] and Minnesota Miss Basketball.[33]

Bueckers at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics shoot-out contest

Bueckers represented the United States at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Women's Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In five games, she averaged 11 points, three steals, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, helping her team win the gold medal.[39] Bueckers played at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Women's World Cup in Minsk, Belarus. In seven games, she averaged 9.7 points, 4.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game, leading the tournament in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.13.[40] Bueckers led the United States to a gold medal after recording eight points and ten assists versus France in the final.[41]

At the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Bangkok, Thailand in July, Bueckers averaged 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and a tournament-high 5.4 assists per game. She posted 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a 74–70 overtime win over Australia for the gold medal.[42] Bueckers was named Most Valuable Player and made the All-Tournament Team.[43] On December 10, 2019, she was honored as USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year.[44]

Bueckers' father, Bob Bueckers, played high school basketball as a point guard. Her mother, Amy Fuller (née Dettbarn), represented the University of St. Thomas in cross country and track and field.[1] When Bueckers was three years old, her parents divorced. She remained with her father while her mother remarried and moved to Billings, Montana.[48] Bueckers has two younger brothers, Ryan and Drew, and a younger sister, Lauren.[1]

Bueckers has hosted a charity basketball clinic called "Buckets for Bueckers" for young athletes.[2]

• UConn Huskies bio
• USA Basketball bio