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Azzi Fudd's Parents Convey Clear Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers Difference

UConn star Azzi Fudd's parents made an interesting comparison between Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers.
Grant Young|
Apr 5, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) and Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) react in the second quarter in the semifinals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Apr 5, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) and Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) react in the second quarter in the semifinals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Regardless of what people have to say about it, the comparisons between Dallas Wings star rookie Paige Bueckers and Indiana Fever icon Caitlin Clark are not going to stop. This is owed to the fact that these two are both generational talents, are the same age, and have produced a ton of success across their respective careers.

However, despite there being clear similarities between them, there's also no doubt that Clark and Bueckers are different in several ways. And their difference was conveyed by Katie Smrcka-Duffy and Tim Fudd (the parents of UConn star Azzi Fudd, both of whom know Bueckers extremely well) during their June 12 appearance on the NOVA Legends podcast.

When asked whether Bueckers is on the same level as Clark and whether Bueckers has that "fire" Clark possesses, Fudd's mom said, "She does. It's different. They're different players."

"It's Michael Jordan and LeBron James," Fudd's father added. "Different. Very different."

"She wants to win," Fudd's mom added. "She's not gonna shoot the ball 25 times a game. She's just not... Where Caitlin wants to score, right? There's a difference, and [Clark] is a scorer first. She wants the assist, too, but she wants to score. And I just think they're different players like that, where Paige just, assist, rebound, score. Whatever you need me to do, let's do it."

Fudd's dad then added, "[Paige] does have a competitive fire. Caitlin shows hers a lot in those big moments... [Paige] has that fire in her belly, and we've just yet to see it [with the Wings]."

Fudd's parents clearly wanted to convey that Bueckers is on Clark's level when it comes to being a competitor.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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