UConn honors 12th title with rings, reunites with Bueckers

The University of Connecticut on Thursday presented championship rings to members of its 2024-25 women’s basketball team, capping a private ceremony that reunited Paula "Paige" Bueckers with teammates and coaches and offered a first look at a ring that commemorates UConn’s 12th national title. The Huskies defeated South Carolina 82-59 to win the crown, and the ring unveiling comes as UConn prepares to defend the title without Bueckers, who has begun her WNBA career with the Dallas Wings.

Bueckers, who finished her UConn career by helping secure the championship and later earned WNBA Rookie of the Year honors, joined the celebration and posted reactions on social media. “In loveeeeeee,” she wrote after the ring release. She and teammates Azzi Fudd and Caroline Ducharme were involved in the ring’s design, which features 12 trapezoid-shaped stones to represent UConn’s championships, five triangle stones nodding to the program’s consecutive Big East tournament titles, and the team’s March Madness scorelines engraved inside. The main bezel is removable and can be converted to a pendant; behind each stone is a piece of the championship game ball. The interior also bears the...