“I lost my identity. I had panic attacks.”: How Paige Bueckers faced panic attacks, loneliness and fear after her ACL tear before becoming the WNBA’s No. 1 pick

How Paige Bueckers faced panic attacks, loneliness and fear after her ACL tear before becoming the WNBA’s No. 1 pick(Getty Image)

Paige Bueckers has already lived through the comeback many young players dream about. She returned from a serious ACL injury, helped UConn win the 2025 national championship and became the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft. Yet the hardest part of that journey was not something that showed up in her statistics.Nearly four years after tearing her left ACL, Bueckers says the experience still follows her onto the court. The fear can return when she drives into a crowded lane or prepares to land among defenders.

Bueckers opened up about the emotional side of her injury while speaking with WNBA legend Sue Bird on the “Bird’s Eye View” podcast in July 2026.“When I tore my ACL, I just felt so isolated and alone,” Bueckers said. “Like I felt like I was forgotten, like I wasn’t important anymore. I lost my identity.”She then explained how deeply basketball had been connected to the way she saw herself.“When I first tore it, I had anxiety. I had panic attacks because I didn’t know who I was outside of basketball. And I really wrapped up my identity in that.”The ACL tear came in August 2022, following earlier injuries to the same knee.

ESPN previously reported that the first week after the tear was a “hell” for Bueckers, with sleepless nights and panic attacks.She also had to watch UConn games from the sideline. ESPN documented one particularly emotional moment during a game at Tennessee in January 2023, when Bueckers cried on the bench while watching her teammates play. Teammate Azzi Fudd, who was also injured, reached over to wipe away one of her tears.Bueckers eventually returned to the court, but the experience changed the way she approached the game. She admitted that the fear of crowded areas and awkward landings has not completely disappeared.“People get mad because I don’t attack the rim as often,” Bueckers said. “And part of that is kind of the trauma of playing in crowded areas, having to land on one leg. So I’m still fighting that three years later.”

Instead of constantly trying to force her way through traffic, Bueckers developed a more controlled offensive game. Her footwork, pull-up shooting and mid-range scoring became bigger parts of her attack.“It helped me really learn how to get to my spots efficiently and work smarter and not harder,” she said.She also explained why the mid-range became such a comfortable option.

“I shot in the mid-range before, but that’s really where I love to get to. I feel like teams struggle to guard it because not a lot of people play in it.”That adjustment did not stop Bueckers from reaching the top of the basketball world. She led UConn to the 2025 NCAA championship and was selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings eight days later.Her rookie season added another chapter. Bueckers averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 36 games and won the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year award.The credentials show how far she has come. But her own words reveal something deeper. The injury did not simply interrupt Bueckers’ career. It forced her to rebuild her relationship with basketball and with herself.