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Paige Bueckers and Breanna Stewart stand at opposing ends of WNBA stardom. But as fellow UConn alumni, the sisterhood (and record-breaking prowess) runs deep: Stewart won Rookie of the Year back in 2016, simultaneously setting a single-season record for defensive rebounds with the Seattle Storm. Bueckers, this year's first overall draft pick, is in the midst of her rookie season with the Dallas Wings, but she's already been named WNBA Rookie of the Month for June. Still, to say the W has changed in recent years would be a massive understatement.
Nine years shouldn't make such a world of difference. But when you consider new NIL (name, image, and likeness) rules, plus a healthy boost of media attention thanks to talents like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, the W is evolving quickly. Now, instead of just watching a game on TV, you can follow your favorite athletes on social media, collect their trading cards, speculate about their relationships, and shop their personal style.
In turn, these athletes have had to learn quickly to advocate for themselves and adapt to change. Oftentimes, that means leaning on their teammates or passing down the knowledge they've accrued. "I learned to advocate for myself by having great people around me. I really would credit Sue Bird for teaching me how to be genuine and stick up for what I believe in," Stewart tells Popsugar. "Ever since I was a rookie, I feel like I was comfortable in my own skin and wanted to use my platform for good." Bueckers has a similar mindset, expressing her strong desire to leave the W in better shape than when she first joined.
It's safe to say both star players are well on their way to achieving this goal, setting new blueprints daily for what it means to be an athlete in the WNBA. These days, it's very possible that your favorite women's basketball player might also be your favorite music artist, fashion inspo, or influencer. That's part of the reason people are investing in women's sports like never before, with Front Office Sports predicting the WNBA will go from $60 million annually in media rights deals to $2.2 billion as of 2026. "We just knew there was something really different and special in women's sports that didn't exist in the same way in men's sports," says Andrea Brimmer, CMO at Ally, a key investor in the league.
The truth is: The W isn't having a moment, it is the moment. But no one can speak on that like Stewart and Bueckers, being a nine-year veteran and first-year rookie. Ahead of Ally's All-Star Game, we asked them both to share their perspectives on the league's growth, their time at UConn, and what everyone gets wrong about the W. Because it's true: everyone is watching women's sports . . . so what happens next?
On Playing With UConn Alum
Paige Bueckers: There's a sisterhood that UConn has. Everybody's connected, regardless of who they played — a long time ago, yesterday, 10 years ago — it's just a family, and so it's been really nice to get to know them off the court as well.
Breanna Stewart: Being on the same [All-Star] team as Paige and Phee has been really cool and just an opportunity for us to celebrate our weekend together and have some fun and do things that we don't normally get to do anymore. (Editor's Note: Phee, aka Napheesa Collier, is another UConn alum.)
On Advice For Their Younger Selves
PB: There's a lot of things that can get thrown your way that try to take you off your track, but just stand firm in who you are. Be confident in yourself. Try to be the best version of yourself every single day. Stay present. Stay in the moment. Enjoy everything in the journey: the ups and downs, the highs and lows. You're going to always look back and appreciate everything that you've been through because it has shaped you to be who you are. So enjoy it all. Have fun. Keep the faith, and just be your best self.
BS: Enjoy the moment, [don't] always look forward. And also, write down the things that happen, so I could have a memoir later. Everybody should write things down.
Popsugar: You need to start scrapbooking or something.
BS: I know. I'm going to Michaels after this.
On Misconceptions About the W
PB: That women have to dunk in order for it to be entertaining.
BS: A misconception about women's sports that I never want to hear again is how they used to say "women belong in the kitchen," or those types of things. That's just completely off topic and wrong. Loud and wrong.
On Spending Their First Paycheck
PB: It's probably pretty lame. Probably some gas for my car. When I first got money, I didn't really know what to do with it, so I just did what I usually do. DoorDash is another one.
BS: I remember my rookie year, my salary was nothing crazy, and I was going to the Olympics. And I paid for my parents to come to the Olympics. That was expensive.
On Recovery
PB: There's a lot of different recovery tools that I try to use, whether it be a machine, Therabody, cold tub, hot tub, sauna, Pilates, stretching, rolling out, getting manual treatment. Sleeping is the best recovery.
BS: Honestly, it's learning to say "no" a lot more, and really that's the biggest thing that I've learned is making sure I have me-time whenever I need it. Because in order to be able to be my best on and off the court, I need to prioritize myself.
On Their Hopes For the WNBA
PB: Just for the momentum to continue to keep building. We continue to have great partners like Ally who invest in women's sports so they can get the return on the investment and we can continue to keep growing. We want everybody involved. We want everybody to invest into the WNBA and women's sports in general because the return on investment is at an all-time high.
BS: My hopes for the future of the WNBA is to get equal pay, be appreciated, and know our worth and our value, and have everyone else see that, too. What I think it's going to take to actually get the increased salary and family planning and all of those benefits is for the league to really hear our side. Hear the players' perspective, and understand where we're coming from.
Witnessing the W changing its trajectory for the better has been really inspiring, and knowing that we're in a way better place than we were when I first started. But we've got a long ways to go, and I'm really excited for the potential of where we can be.
PS: How do you not get burnt out?
BS: Because I'm fighting for myself and everyone else in this league, but also really for the next generation, so that they have this league even better than we have it.
Chandler Plante (she/her) is a social producer and staff writer for the Health & Fitness team at Popsugar. She has over five years of industry experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine, a social media manager for Millie magazine, and a contributor for Bustle Digital Group. She has a degree in magazine journalism from Syracuse University and is based in Los Angeles.
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