Former UConn Guard Paige Bueckers Draws Michael Jordan and LeBron James Comparisons to Caitlin Clark
Former UConn guard Paige Bueckers has made an immediate impact in the WNBA since being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2025 draft. She was highly touted coming out of UConn after winning her first and the schools record 12th NCAA championship.
Bueckers has already broken multiple records in her short time in the W, and is continuing to draw comparisons to the 2024 No. 1 overall pick, Caitlin Clark, guard for the Indiana Fever.
Both Bueckers and Clark have captured the attention of die hard fans and outsiders alike, which has drawn an increase in viewership and comparison among the two young guards.
This season, Bueckers is averaging 17.4 points per game (ppg), 6.1 assists per game (apg), and 4.5 rebounds per game (rpg). She is the Rookie of the Year front-runner and she has the second most games in the WNBA this season with 15 or more points and 5 or more assists and has shown her ability to be involed in all facets of the game. Similarly, Clark, former Rookie of the Year, is averaging 19 ppg, a WNBA-best 9.3 apg, and 6 rpg.
Naturally, when Bueckers' former UConn teammate Azzi Fudd's parents were on the NOVA Legends Podcast, the question about similarities and differences between Bueckers and Clark was posed.
Azzi Fudds parents talk about what they see as the difference between Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark.
— Ken Swift (@kenswift) June 13, 2025
Full Video Here: https://t.co/Fteb83ORgK pic.twitter.com/lQ1vIErrPp
Fudd's father said, "It's Michael Jordan and LeBron James; different. They are very different."
After reminising about a story when Bueckers scored 40 points at UConn, her parents went on to say that "[Paige] wants to win, she's not going to shoot the ball 25 times a game... Caitlin wants to score. There is a difference that [Caitlin] is a score-first, she wants the assists too, but she wants to score and they are different players like that. Where Paige will assist, rebound, score, whatever needs to be done."
Whether you think this is a fair assesment of both players or not, Fudd's parents speak from a closer relationship to Bueckers than to Clark. They saw her play up close when Bueckers and Fudd shared the court at UConn and it is well known the close relationship Bueckers and Fudd still keep.
Bueckers and Clark are two of the most intriuging young players in the WNBA and their comparisons will only grow over their careers, but both will be worthy of keeping a close eye on for years to come.
Seth Orlemann has been covering sports for more than 5 years. His work spans across all major leagues in the realm of sports betting while he has also contributed to sites for the USC Trojans, New Orleans Saints, and FC Cincinnati. Orlemann, who is based out of Cincinnati, is a graduate of Ohio University’s Sport Management program and can be found in many major media outlets.