The UConn Huskies bagged the Portland Regional title on Monday night with a huge upset win over the USC Trojans, 80-73. This was thanks in large part to a massive performance by Huskies star Paige Bueckers, who came up big for UConn when it mattered the most.
The 22-year-old produced a performance for the ages in one of the most important games of her career, finishing with a team-high 28 points on 11-of-23 shooting, to go along with 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals, two blocks, and three triples in 40 minutes of action.
The Huskies needed a clutch performance from their best player against JuJu Watkins and the No. 1 seed Trojans, and that’s exactly what Bueckers delivered.
UConn Huskies’ Paige Bueckers Turns Down Kobe Bryant Hat Tip Moment
After the game, Bueckers happily posed for the media as she held the championship trophy. A reporter suggested that she re-enact the late, great Kobe Bryant’s iconic championship photo by posing like the Los Angeles Lakers icon did after they won the 2001 NBA Finals.
As it turns out, however, Bueckers was having none of it:
"It ain't me, dog. That's Kobe."
They wanted Paige Bueckers to do the Kobe photo pose 📸😅 #finalfour pic.twitter.com/MqpBgL5ONx
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 2, 2024
For those that require context, here’s the clip of Bryant receiving the Larry O’Brien trophy in what was the second of LA’s three straight titles during the early 2000s:
Whoever handed Kobe the trophy led to one of the most iconic pics of all time pic.twitter.com/HQEDvVfV1H
— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) January 25, 2024
Buecker’s decision not to reenact the pose is by no means a sign of disrespect for the fallen Hall of Famer, though. In fact, the UConn star has credited Kobe for being one of her inspirations during her road to recovery from a career-threatening ACL injury a couple of years ago.
Just like Bryant, Buckers was able to overcome a major injury to re-establish herself as one of the top players in women’s basketball.
Bueckers and UConn will now want to take it a step further when they battle Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in a mouthwatering Final Four matchup on Friday.
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