UConn star Paige Bueckers not planning on WNBA move after injury: ‘I’m not leaving. That is not in question’

Paige Bueckers won’t be playing for UConn during the 2022-23 college basketball season after suffering a torn ACL, but her college career is not over.

Bueckers, the 2020-21 women’s college basketball national player of the year, will be age-eligible for the 2023 WNBA Draft. As such, some had wondered whether she would go pro and forgo her remaining eligibility with the Huskies.

She slammed the door shut on that possibility in a Thursday news conference, her first since suffering a season-ending ACL tear during an August workout.

“I’m not leaving. That is not in question,” Bueckers told ESPN. “People asked me, ‘What are you thinking about fifth year, COVID year, redshirting this year.’ I’m not thinking too far ahead about that at all. But I will be playing college basketball again.”

MORE: Full details of Paige Buckers’ injury and how it impacts her season

It’s not a huge surprise that Bueckers is opting to stay with the Huskies. The junior has three years of eligibility remaining after this season thanks to a COVID year and the option she has to redshirt for the upcoming season.

As such, Bueckers can take her time rehabbing from the knee injury. That will allow her to return fully healthy and round back into the form she showcased in 2020-21 when she averaged 20 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game for the Huskies. She wasn’t able to perform quite as well during her sophomore season thanks to a nagging left knee injury.

Still, this injury will provide Bueckers with a different kind of test than last season’s knee injury, as she explained to reporters.

“There was always the reassurance that I could return and I could be back in the same season,” Bueckers said. “This [ACL tear] just really makes me never want to take things for granted again, live in the moment, don’t think too far in the future because you never know what could happen. So just living every day to the best of my ability, being thankful to God that I wake up every morning.”

Also, it’s worth noting that Bueckers can benefit greatly from NIL deals if she remains in college. She already has a lucrative deal with Gatorade, among other companies, and brands that pay to align themselves with her. So, there is less of an incentive for her to make the jump to the WNBA so quickly.

MORE: Paige Bueckers’ NIL deals, explained

That said, that money isn’t the primary driving force behind Bueckers’ decision. It’s all about getting back on the court quickly and as healthily as possible.

“I really just want to be 110% healthy before I ever play basketball again,” Bueckers said. “Just because I never want to take a break like this again, ever in my career.”