Dan Patrick Gets Clear About Caitlin Clark's 'True Rivalry' in WNBA

Sports media personality Dan Patrick knows who Caitlin Clark's real rival is.

Jul 15, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to the crowd as they take on the Connecticut Sun in the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Dallas Wings rookie guard Paige Bueckers turned the women's basketball world upside down when she scored 44 points against the Los Angeles Sparks on August 20, which was the most point a single player has produced in a WNBA game this season, tied the league record for most points in a game by a first-year player, and marked the first time a WNBA player scored 40 or more points while shooting 80% or higher from the field.

While Bueckers has been getting compared to Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark ever since they were freshmen in college, this 44-point outing intensified debate, as some are convinced Bueckers has already surpassed Clark during No. 22's injury-plagued 2025 campaign.

What's for sure is that once Clark (hopefully) comes back healthy in 2026, these two are set to have dozens of iconic head-to-head showdowns between them in their respective WNBA careers.

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

Dan Patrick Speaks on Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark Rivalry

The narrative to this point is that Caitlin Clark's biggest WNBA rival is Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, given the history these two have had with each other dating back to the 2023 NCAA national championship game.

However, sports media personality Dan Patrick offered another opinion during an August 21 episode of the Dan Patrick Show.

"Keep in mind, Paige Bueckers was Caitlin Clark before Caitlin Clark," Patrick said. He then went on to talk about how much Bueckers loved the midrange jump shot, and while this isn't as exciting as Clarks' logo threes, she is still fun to watch.

He then added, "This was supposed to be the rivalry. This was supposed to be Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers, and hopefully it will be. And I think we're trying to have other rivalries, but that's not the rivalry. Have [Clark and Bueckers] against each other, then maybe have something [else]."

"Paige (Bueckers) will appeal to WNBA fans, Caitlin Clark appeals to the casual fan... but this could be the true rivalry that the WNBA could use."

– DP on Paige Bueckers' historic 44-point performance last night. pic.twitter.com/EA8eJ58m7w

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) August 21, 2025

"Paige will appeal to WNBA fans. Caitlin Clark appeals to the casual fan, or somebody who is not even a casual fan, but will become a casual fan, or maybe even more that with Caitlin Clark," Patrick continued.

"But this could be the true rivalry that the WNBA could use."

There's an argument to be made that the WNBA doesn't need Clark to have any major rival, and that they just need her fully healthy and back on the basketball court. But these two 23-year-olds going toe-to-toe for the next decade-plus would certainly be a good thing for the game's growth.