PRESENTING THE PAST - Paige Bueckers x Nika Muhl, Diana Taurasi x Sue Bird

CHAPTER 20

NIKA

Today is our Big East championship game against Marquette. It doesn't scare me like my first game as a Husky did, but there's one thing making me anxious—Mom is here to watch. Being a basketball player in a championship game in front of Sue Bird is one thing; being Sue Bird's daughter in a championship game is another.

"Where's Paige?" E asks as she sits beside me. Everyone is quiet, probably meditating or relaxing before the game.

"Pre-game interview. But she's probably on her way back now," I answer, smiling. Paige has been gone for a while, so I figure she's on her way. As if on cue, Paige walks into the locker room humming, totally relaxed. When she's like this before a big game, we all know she's going to deliver. She teases Olivia by poking her ear, then heads straight for me.

"Hey, baby," she says, kissing the top of my head.

"Ew," Evina says, giving us a disgusted look before slowly walking away.

"Go away, old lady," Paige shoots back, as Evina flips us off, making us laugh.

"So, are you okay? First championship game," Paige asks, pulling up a chair in front of me and tapping my thighs—a thing she does to calm me.

"Yep. Just... Sue Bird on the sideline during a championship game isn't helping," I admit, making her chuckle. She keeps tapping my legs gently.

"Should I send her home with Diana Taurasi?" Paige jokes, making me laugh. She always has something up her sleeve to make me feel better.

"Or we could lock both of them in the bathroom," I suggest, and she laughs too. She nods and cups my face with her hands.

"You'll be great, okay? Just play your game, and we'll be fine," she reassures me, giving my forehead a soft kiss. We've grown more comfortable showing affection around the team, though they claim they saw it coming before either of us did.

"Ball!" Aubrey shouts, calling for a ball during warm-ups. The game is about to start, and I spot Mom and Diana sitting together, chatting. Seeing Mom laugh always puts me at ease.

The whistle blows, and the ball goes up. We win the jump. Paige scores the first points for UConn with a tough three, which could've been an and-one, but the refs are letting everyone play. The game is tight, with no team pulling ahead. By the final three minutes of the first quarter, CD points at me and Aubrey to sub in for Christyn and Aaliyah.

"Bird for Williams, Griffin for Edwards," the announcer calls, and the crowd cheers loudly.

Holding the ball, I start to run the play. I pass it to Paige on the wing, fake going one way, but instead cut back toward her. She hands off the ball while setting a solid screen, leaving me wide open for a three. Swish!

"Yeah!" Paige roars, giving me a low five.

The first half continues, and we build a seven-point lead going into halftime. Nothing easy against Marquette—they're putting up a good fight.

...

"Do you remember my last year at UConn when we won the Big East for the two-peat?" Sue asks Diana as they watch the halftime show, the players having gone back to their locker rooms to rest.

"How could I forget, Suzanne? After you left, we never tasted another Big East championship," Diana replies, giggling as she reminisces about how they never won the Big East after Sue left.