Women’s basketball icon Paige Bueckers is the latest college athlete to file a trademark application in the NIL(name, image and likeness) era.
According to multiple reports, the Uconn star has filed a trademark application to protect her nickname, “Paige Buckets.”
Filed on July 13, the application says the trademark will be used for “athletic apparel, namely, shirts, pants, jackets, footwear, hats and caps, athletic uniforms.”
Paige Bueckers has filed a trademark application for her nickname:
PAIGE BUCKETS
The filing was made on July 13th, just days after she won the ESPY for best college athlete in women's sports.#NIL #NCAA #UConn pic.twitter.com/R9lSQCfc1w
— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) August 3, 2021
Given her massive social media following and high-profile team, the rising sophomore guard could earn $1 million a year in endorsements, according to an analysis by a firm that connects athletes with sponsors. It was estimated back in March that just her social media following could be worth over $380,000 annually.
She’s recently signed with agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas, an executive vice president at the prominent agency Wasserman. Wasserman Media Group, a sports marketing and talent management company based in Los Angeles, made the signing official on Wednesday evening.
“We’re approaching this, I think, with the understanding that the potential is really limitless,” Colas said. “It really comes down to: What are the right deals, and how much time does Paige have to spend?”
In an email, Paige expressed her thoughts on becoming one of the first female athletes to profit from their name.
A million dollars is “a big number for a small town kid,” wrote Bueckers, who is from Hopkins, Minn. “But I hope that it proves to be just a fraction of the investment being made in women’s sports generally—and hopefully small compared to who comes after me.”
Now entering a new stage in her career, Buekers will be back on the court for Uconn with high expectations. She led the Huskies to the Final Four last season averaging 20.0 and 5.8 assists per game. The 5-foot-11 do-it-all guard became the first freshman to win the AP National Player of the Year in the 39-year history of the award. She’s also the fourth first-year player ever, following men’s winners Kevin Durant (2007), Anthony Davis (2012) and Zion Williamson (2019).
Under Buekers’ leadership, the Huskies will be a dominant force in women’s college basketball yet again. They’ll be adding several solid freshmen, including Guard Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 recruit in the country. Three other top-30 recruits will also enter the mix on a team that is expected to return Christyn Williams, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, and Aaliyah Edwards.
We’ll see Paige continue to dominate and develop as a young star in college hoops, as well as become one of the most well-known names in the game.
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