Paige Bueckers wins $50K Unrivaled free-throw challenge, drops 37 in Breeze win

Paige Bueckers didn’t just light up the scoreboard Monday night. She cashed in.

Playing in her first Unrivaled season, the Breeze BC guard — who is also a member of the Dallas Wings and the WNBA’s reigning rookie of the year — exploded for 37 points, knocking down 14 of 19 shots from the field, including five of eight 3s.

Paige Bueckers in the Breeze @Unrivaledwbb win:

🌬️ 37 PTS (Career High)
🌬️ 14-19 FG
🌬️ 5-8 3PM
🌬️ 8 REB
🌬️ 5 AST

Paige Buckets 🪣😤 pic.twitter.com/erBFu2HFE0

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) January 20, 2026

She sealed the 83-64 win over Mist BC with an off-balance, pull-up jumper that snapped a two-game losing streak for the Breeze. (The 3×3 league, which is in its second season, ends games by playing to a “winning score,” which is determined by adding 11 points to the leading team’s total after the third quarter.) Bueckers’ most profitable points Monday night came at the free-throw line, where she remained a perfect 13 for 13 on the season and won Unrivaled’s inaugural Free Throw Challenge and an accompanying $50,000 prize.

According to the rules of the foul-shot competition, the award would go to the Unrivaled player with the highest free-throw percentage in her team’s first five games. To be eligible, players had to appear in at least three games and attempt at least six free throws.

Bueckers isn’t the only Unrivaled player who has been perfect from the stripe this season — Challenge runner-up Phantom BC guard Tiffany Hayes is 6 for 6, and a handful of other players have yet to miss but lacked the number of attempts required to qualify for the prize — but Bueckers’ combination of volume and precision secured her the title and the cash.

It’s a GREAT day to be Paige Bueckers 😭💰

Shoutout to our free throw challenge champ presented by @Xfinity 🎯 pic.twitter.com/qQp4yg88fw

— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) January 20, 2026

Asked afterward about how she planned to spend the bonus, Bueckers, who’s averaging 23.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game for the 3-2 Breeze, kept it light. “I got some good plans, but no pocket watching over here,” she said with a smile. “I’m (gonna) take care of it.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Dallas Wings, WNBA

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