- Bueckers used the attention of winning an award to thank black women
- The speech resurfaced after a weekend LA Times story caused controversy
- DailyMail.com provides the latest international sports news.
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As Paige Bueckers led UConn women’s basketball to another Final Four on Monday night, a clip of her from the 2021 ESPY Awards resurfaced where she spoke about racial bias.
Bueckers’ acceptance speech from three years ago went viral in part because the weekend’s Los Angeles Times labeled the LSU women’s basketball team “dirty rookies.”
The column generated immediate backlash for being “sexist” and was updated online for not meeting the outlet’s editorial standards.
It also led LSU star Hailey Van Lith, one of two white Tigers players on a roster of a dozen, to say that negative comments about the team are fueled by racism.
Buecker’s speech seemed timely, although he has yet to speak directly on the issue since the LA Times article was published.
Bueckerts won ‘Female Collegiate Athlete’ of the Year at the 2021 ESPY Awards
Bueckers has been one of the most popular players in college basketball over the past few years.
‘In the light that I have now, as a white woman leading a black-led sport celebrated here, I want to shine a light on black women. They don’t get the media coverage they deserve,” Bueckers said in 2021.
“They have given so much to this sport, to the community and to society as a whole and their value is undeniable,” Bueckers added. “In the WNBA last season, in the postseason awards, 80 percent of the winners were black, but they got half the coverage of white athletes.”
“I think it’s time for a change, sports media holds the key to stories. Sports media and sponsors tell us who is valuable,” Bueckers continued. “And you have told the world that I am important today.”
“Everyone who voted, thank you, but I think we should use this power together to celebrate black women as well,” Bueckers said.
Bueckers led UConn to another Final Four by defeating USC in the Elite Eight on Monday.
Bueckers has been one of college basketball’s biggest stars since starting his career at UConn in 2020.
On Monday night, she was instrumental in helping the Huskies defeat USC in the Elite Eight.
Now, Bueckers will face Caitlin Clark for the first time in college when Iowa plays UConn in the Final Four on Friday.
Clark and Bueckers were the two highest-rated point guards in the Class of 2020, with Bueckers being the No. 1 player in the country and Clark the No. 4 player.