Women's Fastbreak On SI

Paige Bueckers Sends Clear Message on Caitlin Clark Comparisons

Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers got real about always being compared to Caitlin Clark.
Grant Young|
Apr 6, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) dribbles the ball against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half of the national championship of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Apr 6, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) dribbles the ball against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half of the national championship of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

It's no secret that Dallas Wings rookie and former UConn Huskies icon Paige Bueckers and Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark are often compared to each other.

This has remained the case ever since their freshman college seasons, has remained constant through them being consecutive No. 1 overall picks in the 2024 and 2025 WNBA drafts, respectively, and will surely continue as their professional careers progress.

This is why it would be wise for both sides to get used to these comparisons. And that's exactly what Bueckers has seemingly done, which was conveyed in a May 5 interview she did with Time's Sean Gregory.

“That’s what the media cares about,” Bueckers said of the comparisons to Clark. “That’s what everybody who watches basketball cares about. I used to be bothered by it. But I’ve done so much work on myself and my approach. The ability to not run a race in comparison, to run my own race and worry about that. Caitlin’s a phenomenal player. We’re also completely different players.”

She later admitted that she understood that pitting her and Clark against each other “is good for the game. At the end of the day, I don’t think either of us really cares about it, because we’re just trying to be the best versions of ourselves.”

There's no doubt that Bueckers and Clark have a ton of mutual respect, and there also seems to be a solid relationship between them off the court.

But when they meet on the court — their first WNBA contest is slated for Friday, June 27 — it's sure to be all business.

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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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