Paige Bueckers & Azzi Fudd Helped Design UConn National Championship Rings

When the UConn women’s basketball team cut down the nets in April, it felt like the restoration of a dynasty. But if you ask the players, the program’s 12th national championship wasn’t powered by talent or scheme alone. It was powered by something far less measurable — friendship. And now, seven months later, that theme is literally etched into gold and silver.

On a crisp November night in Storrs, the Huskies reunited for A Night With Champions, a ceremony ahead of their season-opener against Louisville. Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers returned to campus for the moment she’d been waiting years for: slipping on her first national championship ring. She stood alongside former teammates Azzi Fudd and Caroline Ducharme, the trio who helped bring the 2024–25 team’s identity — and the ring design — to life.

“The Power of Friendship” Becomes Permanent

Bueckers didn’t hesitate when asked what fueled the championship run.
“The power of friendship … is the reason that we did win it,” she said. “We just went off of straight vibes and we stuck together through it all.”

The phrase started as a social-media joke in March, a meme claiming UConn had advanced “on the power of friendship alone.” But inside the locker room, the team embraced it. It fit who they were — tightly connected, emotionally invested, and bonded by something deeper than scouting reports.

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Paige Bueckers, Caroline Ducharme and Azzi Fudd designed the 2025 NCAA Championship ring.

Paige walks us through the design process 💍 pic.twitter.com/ouIXuI7hj3

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) October 24, 2025

That mantra is now permanently engraved on the ring’s side, right next to Gampel Pavilion and the iconic Husky logo. It’s an uncommon tribute in championship jewelry, but then again, few seasons are defined as clearly as this one.

The rings also include another team motto — simply, “Vibes.” Bueckers called it their “vibe of the year,” a shorthand for the looseness and joy that kept them grounded through injuries, pressure, and the weight of UConn’s history.

A Ring Packed with Meaning

The front of the ring is unmistakably UConn: the blue-stone Husky logo layered over a gold national championship trophy wrapped in a cut net. Surrounding it are 12 trapezoid stones — one for every title the program has claimed, cementing UConn’s place at the top of women’s college basketball.

But the players had a hand in shaping its look too.
Bueckers laughed as she admitted, “I’m a huge silver girlie,” which explains the ring’s predominantly silver design. It’s modern, bold, and personal — exactly how the team wanted it.

The most unique feature, though, is hidden. The top of the ring lifts off to reveal a piece of the actual championship game ball. It also doubles as a pendant, giving players the option to wear their title in a more understated way.

 

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“That’s a piece of the basketball that we won it with,” Bueckers said. “A beautiful summary of the national championship journey.”

The Journey Etched Inside

Slip the ring on, and the storytelling continues. Engraved inside are the scores from UConn’s path through the NCAA Tournament — the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, and championship game. It’s a subtle detail, but one that grounds the jewelry in the reality of how hard the run truly was.

The ceremony itself carried the same emotional charge. With the original season opener in Germany relocated to the U.S. Naval Academy due to the government shutdown, the team gathered in Storrs for a celebration that felt both intimate and historic.

What the Rings Really Represent

Championship rings always honor achievement, but UConn’s 12th title rings do something more — they capture the personality of a team that rediscovered its joy. They tell the story of players who believed in each other through every rough stretch, every twist of the bracket, every injury and expectation.

They’re about a group that made “friendship” and “vibes” legitimate basketball concepts.

And now, every time Paige Bueckers or her teammates slip on their rings, they’re reminded of what lifted them. Not just the points, the stops, or the coaching — but the connection.

The power of friendship didn’t just win them a championship. It gave them a legacy worth engraving.