UConn star Paige Bueckers surprised childhood friend Jalen Suggs after he was picked in the NBA Draft
- Former Gonzaga Bulldogs star Jalen Suggs was selected fifth overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.
- His longtime friend, UConn Huskies PG Paige Bueckers surprised Suggs during the big moment.
- She hopped on the ESPN broadcast to congratulate Suggs and reminisce about childhood moments.
Jalen Suggs got a virtual visit from a longtime friend during his big moment at the NBA draft.
And that friend happens to be college basketball's biggest star.
UConn Huskies superstar Paige Bueckers hopped on the ESPN broadcast Thursday night to congratulate her pal since childhood on his selection in this year's draft. The Orlando Magic picked up the former Gonzaga Bulldogs star with the fifth overall pick on Thursday night.
Suggs and Bueckers grew up in the same area of Minnesota. Both were highly-touted prospects coming out of high school, and both made names for themselves at the collegiate level.
Suggs was the orchestrator of this year's Gonzaga squad throughout the season, but he's best known for hitting the shot of the college basketball season with his buzzer beater against the UCLA Bruins in the Final Four. Bueckers, meanwhile, became the first freshman to win AP Player of the Year in women's college basketball history.
Now, at least one of them is en route to the pros - and surely the other will follow behind in a few years.
"It seems like yesterday that we were just shooting in the St. Louis Park gym," Bueckers said. "And now you're getting drafted. This is something that we've talked about since we were little kids."
"I'm just super happy and excited for you," she added.
Suggs lit up watching Bueckers on the screen, then turned back to his own interview with ESPN to chat about his relationship with the UConn rising sophomore.
"It's the best - I mean, we've been close since we were little kids," Suggs said. "We just have a special, unique relationship. We feed off each other, we help each other get better and grow."
"P, thank you for that," he added. "I was not expecting that."
Check out the heartwarming clip below: