UConn's Paige Bueckers Agrees to Chegg NIL Deal Addressing Students' Food Insecurity
March 31, 2022
UConn star Paige Bueckers has signed a name, image and likeness contract with student services company Chegg ahead of the Final Four of the 2022 women's NCAA tournament.
Chegg announced Bueckers is its "first student-athlete brand ambassador" and noted the deal will focus on issues related to student hunger.
The Minnesota native is returning to her home state with the Huskies to play in the Final Four, and the partnership with Chegg will begin by teaming with hunger relief company Goodr to launch a pop-up grocery market Saturday in Minneapolis.
Bueckers and the companies hope to provide 6,000 meals as part of the event, and the long-term goal is to open permanent grocery stores at schools and college campuses around the country.
The 2021 Naismith College Player of the Year told ESPN's Alexa Philippou she's happy to be able to start the partnership near her hometown of Edina, a Minneapolis suburb.
"It means a lot," the 20-year-old said. "To be in a position to give back to a community that gave me so much, especially not knowing for so long if I could be here on the court with my team, it's really fulfilling. But it's also only just the start."
She added it's an opportunity to use her position as one of basketball's rising stars to help others.
"I am really lucky to have grown up with food on the table," Bueckers told ESPN. "Today I want to make sure I am sharing the opportunities I get and the resources I have with others who might need a hand. I have a lot of privilege and my responsibility to share."
The playmaking point guard missed nearly three months of her sophomore season with UConn because of a knee injury before rejoining the lineup in late February.
She's coming off her best performance since the return, tallying 27 points and six rebounds in a double-overtime victory over NC State in the Elite Eight.
Bueckers and the Huskies are set to face off against Stanford on Friday night, and the winner advances to face either Louisville or South Carolina in the national championship game Sunday.