While most athletes would see injuries as a roadblock, Paige Bueckers recently admitted that it can be a game-changer sometimes.

Coming back from the FIBA qualifiers, Bueckers will hit the floor for the Dallas Wings in less than a month. But before that, she featured in Coach's "Explore Your Story" Spring 2026 campaign, addressing a part many didn’t know.  

“ACL injuries are pretty devastating”, she said. “There were times in my journey where I doubted myself. I was like, I don't know if I'm gonna be half the player that I was before I tore my ACL. And I feel like I've gotten back and I've gotten better.”

Looking back, she felt “really, really grateful that it happened because it changed (her) perspective in life… who (she) was as a basketball player and as a human being.” But the path to this transformation wasn’t easy.

Back in 2022, while playing for the UConn Huskies, the 20-year-old Bueckers tore her left ACL during a summer pickup game. What followed was surgery, missing the entire 2022–23 season and crushing self-doubt.

However, a healed Bueckers returned to the hardwood in the 2023–24 season, helping the Huskies win their 12^th title in the next season. And now, she finally knew what to say to the younger generation.

Paige Bueckers’ Message for the Younger Kids

Sports history has borne witness to how often injuries destroy careers or limit the athletes’ prowess, not allowing a return to previous form. Although Bueckers' injury made her doubt herself many times, her message was clear.

“I want younger girls to know, injuries don't have to define you. They don't have to derail you”, she said. “So, I think that just for younger kids to see, it's not life-ending. You can find yourself; you can find your identity.”

The 24-year-old Wings star has been through it and knows what it takes to withstand it. But being “able to come back from that and show younger kids that you can too, was really meaningful.”

That being said, have you also drawn inspiration from Bueckers' resilience at some point?

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Written by

Deblina Roy

Edited by

Souvik Roy