Paige Bueckers, one of the top-ranked female athletes in college basketball, is set to enter her final year of play at the University of Connecticut. Plagued by injuries, Bueckers looks to overcome her setbacks in hopes of leading her UCONN Huskies back to the promised land, earning her a national championship before heading off to what will be a fruitful career in the WNBA. Before that, Nike will honor their NIL athlete with a special edition colorway of their latest silhouette in their Greater Than series, the Nike GT Hustle 3. This makes Bueckers the first NIL athlete to receive a Nike sneaker.
The Nike GT Hustle 3 debuted at the beginning of July as a part of the Blueprint Pack and, more recently, was released as a part of the Electric Pack, both tying back to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. As we gear up for the start of basketball later this year, Nike will drop plenty of colorways of the GT Hustle 3, including outfitting some of their sponsored colleges and athletes in team-issued colorways.
Lucky for us, this includes a Paige Bueckers edition, the first Nike sneaker set to release at retail for the college star and future full-time Nike athlete (it's inevitable, right?). Sole Retriever can confirm that Buecker's GT Hustle 3 will come in a multi-color theme. Nike describes the pair as having the area codes 860 and 612 on the upper, which represent UCONN (860) and her hometown of Edina, Minnesota (612). Alongside this, the sockliner features "Paige's personal mantra and her nickname."
Later, retailer images emerged that showcased the sneaker in full. The upper comes with the same engineered mesh as a standard GT Hustle 3 but with a gradient effect that transitions from a blue hue down to a stark white shade. Pops of magenta are found along the TPU Swoosh on the midfoot and the branding dePopstail atop the tongue, which is where we find the first homage to Paige.
The area codes for UCONN and Edina, Minnesota, are placed on the tongue of the left shoe, while the right features a custom logo. Back on the heel, her personal mantra, "Be You, Be Great!" is placed on the left shoe's sole, and the right shoe features Paige's last name. Finishing the design is the white foam midsole with a purple and blue gradient around the two exposed Zoom Air units paired with a multi-color marbled outsole.
“It’s definitely motivating to wear your own shoe,” Paige says. “I grew up wearing Nikes — all the signature shoes — so it’s surreal to have this Player Edition model. I just want to show out in it.”
“There are so many details that make this shoe special to me,” Paige says. “This is the perfect colorway for me: I love baby blue and lavender, and the Radial Knit makes me feel fly. My favorite detail is the message from my dad, and the tribute to both of my homes is so meaningful for my first Player Edition model.”
The Nike GT Hustle 3 Paige Bueckers was originally set to release on September 12, 2024. After a delay, they will now drop on December 7 at Nike and select retailers online and in-store. Coming in men's sizing, retail is set at $190. Download the Sole Retriever mobile app for the latest updates on this release, and other exciting sneaker news, raffles, and more in the sneaker and streetwear world.
Images via Nike
Images via Titan
Steve Jaconetta is the Head of Content based out of Connecticut. An encyclopedia for sneaker releases, he's covered the industry for over fifteen years. His stops have included Sole Collector, Complex, and StockX, to name a few. He considers the Air Jordan 11 Concord the greatest sneaker of all time and has a strong affection for 80s pop culture. Email: steve@soleretriever.com
