7 min read
When Paige Bueckers isn’t on the court dropping 30-plus points per game, you can often find her cozied up with a book. Which is why the women’s basketball star and 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year was a perfect fit for Coach’s new “Explore Your Story” campaign, launching today, focused on the power of storytelling.
The spring ad, one of several fashion-literary crossovers in recent months, features two films starring Bueckers in an expanded role with the brand, along with global ambassadors: actresses Elle Fanning and Storm Reid and singer-songwriters Soyeon, Lilas, and Shan Yichun, a rising star in China, who joins Coach for the first time. Each of the talent selected a book that resonates with them (Buecker’s pick is I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson), which Coach then turned into readable book charms, displayed on their iconic Tabby bag in the campaign.
In the lead-up to the launch, we caught up with the Dallas Wings star, who has been tearing it up on the court in the off-season as part of Unrivaled, the women’s three-on-three league started by WNBA vets Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, about her love of reading, how she expresses herself through fashion, and what to expect from this year’s WNBA season (yes, she says there will be a season!).
How’s the off-season going? It’s been fun seeing you play in Unrivaled.
It’s been really great just to be able to have a league in the off-season where you can continue to get better, continue to compete against the best, build new relationships, and all be in one area, just learning so much from each other and growing in our friendships, too. That’s been fun. Obviously, the basketball part is amazing. It’s a different format than five-on-five, just three-on-three, and so it provides us with a different way of improving our game and gives the fans a different experience watching. It’s been really competitive. We’ve grown a lot.
Unrivaled is such a great model for how a league can support and invest in players [all of the players are paid a minimum of $100,000 and have an equity stake].
Yeah, it’s a player-run, player-led league, so they really care about us and our opinions and take our input and implement it into what they’re doing. It’s really well-run and you can tell that for sure.
Courtesy of Coach
I’m excited to talk to you about the coach “Explore Your Story” campaign. In recent months, there have been several fashion-literary crossovers, and anecdotally, I feel like I’m seeing more people reading books on the subway again here in NYC. Is reading cool again?
Yeah, I think so. Especially in basketball, a lot of us are readers. I go through phases between reading and watching shows, but our life is so fast and we’re always on the go, and almost everything in life is technology-based now, so it’s nice to slow down with a book. It’s a way to reconnect with yourself and get time to yourself and just get lost in a book. Like I said, our lives are so chaotic. Our life is mostly basketball, so to separate ourselves from that and get a little bit of an identity outside of basketball and find new hobbies is helpful.
I definitely think reading is cool. I know I can speak for a lot of the basketball world in that a lot of us are readers, and most of what we’re reading are physical copies, too. I think that’s really cool. And I think everything in life comes back around. You see all the retro trends coming back. To actually sit with a physical book and have that in your hands is nostalgic in a way.
I like the idea of you guys being on the road as a team and everyone’s reading their books on the bus.
Yeah, I know. We have a little book club.
Courtesy of Coach
That’s cute. So what excites you about this campaign and why did you want to be a part of it?
I think it was the creativity and combining different aspects of life. I’m a basketball player, I like to read, and I also like to express myself through fashion. Coach has done a really good job of having me be a part of these really cool things off the court, which allows me to express myself through a different lens and also to have people see me outside of the basketball court. Because as an athlete, you’re more than an athlete. As an actor, you’re more than an actor. To find yourself in different worlds, and to find different ways to express yourself, I think that’s what this was really all about.
Why did you select I’ll Give You the Sun? What is the message and how does it resonate with you?
It’s all about self-expression, going through life’s journey, finding yourself, and overcoming adversity and struggle. For the characters, it’s about going through trauma and being able to find yourself again; dealing with the hard parts and finding self-confidence after going through it. I think the best thing about going through adversity is getting to the other side and seeing how much you went through, how much that built you, and how much that made you stronger. And that’s what my life has been about—handling and battling adversity and getting through it and becoming better from it.
Also, the story is about two siblings and I have three younger siblings. So, knowing what it’s like to have a sibling—you fight, you make up, but you really love each other and will do anything for each other. So all of that encapsulates why I chose this book.
A lot of little girls look up to you. I’ve read some depressing stats about how few adults finish a book in a year these days. What would you say to the younger generation about the impact books have made in your life, to encourage them to pick up a book too?
I would say we need to end the stigma around books. You’re not a nerd, and you’re not geeky, for reading a book. Actually, books have helped me grow my intelligence a lot. I think you just naturally grow smarter when reading because you learn so much. When you’re reading a book, you’re honestly reading somebody else’s experience of life, how they deal with things, and how they handle adversity and trauma. And sometimes, you just read for fun. It’s a different way to find entertainment without having to sit in front of a screen. It’s not necessarily the best to constantly be watching a show, be on your phone, be on your iPad, switching from electronic to electronic. It’s nice to take a break from that.
It’s also a way to connect with people. You could have a lot of conversations with people about reading the same books. I know I’ve read a lot of self-help books. I read the Bible and a lot of faith-based books that have helped me grow on my faith, too. So, I think there’s so many different types of books that you can read. Honestly, you’re going to find one—there’s a book out there for everybody.
Looking ahead to this year’s WNBA season, what are you looking forward to? Well, actually, first, is there going to be a season? I know the players are still negotiating a new contract with the league and I’m worried it won’t be settled in time.
Yes, there’ll be a season. We’re going to figure it out. I think everybody wants to capitalize on the momentum right now, so I think we’re going to figure it out. We’ll have a season.
Courtesy of Coach
And I’m just looking forward to continuing to build. We have a foundation, and we have a core, and we have new coaching staff, so it’s going to be really exciting just to see what it’ll be like under their wings and how we can continue to grow and get better as a team. I’ve built a relationship with Coach Jose [Fernandez, new head coach of the Dallas Wings] already. We’ve met a couple of times, just sat and got dinner and chopped it up, and I think he has a good plan for the team. So, I’m excited about that and we’ll see how this free agency stuff goes. We’ll see how the expansion draft goes, and then we have the number one pick, so we’ll see how the WNBA draft goes.
I’m really excited for the future. We got a lot of people who love basketball and are really passionate about it and want to continue to get better, so it’s all exciting.
You’ve gotten attention for your tunnel fits. What styles are you gravitating towards right now? What might we see you in this season?
I love streetwear. It’s really hot in Texas, so I struggle to wear anything long. But obviously, I love jorts. And the tunnel walk itself is only 10 or 15 seconds. So if I have to sacrifice being warm for a little bit I will, because I love sweaters, I love cardigans, I love vests, I love rugby polos, T-shirts, and things like that too. I love a collared shirt. My style is a mix of masculine, feminine, and comfortable. I can dress up, I can dress down. But when I’m walking into the tunnel, I want it to be more of a streetwear, cool, classy look.
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