Paige Bueckers Brushes Off ‘Media-Driven’ Comparisons To Caitlin Clark
Paige Bueckers isn't too worried about the comparisons between her and Caitlin Clark.
Of course, it's easy to see why people are making those comparisons. Both players were No. 1 overall picks, and both were huge stars in college. And after Clark's phenomenal first WNBA season earned her the Rookie of the Year award, all eyes are on Bueckers to follow suit.
"That’s what the media cares about," Bueckers told Time Magazine. "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."
Paige Bueckers is taking her comparisons to Caitlin Clark in stride.
(Imagn-Images)
With the UConn Huskies, Bueckers was a unanimous first-team All-American and Big East Player of the Year in 2021, 2024 and 2025. The Huskies took down South Carolina last month to win the National Championship and put a bow on Bueckers' collegiate career.
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Now, she'll get a fresh start with the Dallas Wings.
"I don’t know if a player has felt more pressure to validate a collegiate career with a championship than Paige has," Wings executive vice president and general manager Curt Miller said.
"Paige is going to have to make the adjustment. The speed of the game, the rules of the game, the physicality, is all different. The veterans aren’t going to take it easy on the rookie. Paige is going to feel her rookie moment at some point. She will have to navigate the comparisons to the adjustment that Caitlin had. We’re all mindful and aware, but we’re going to be very supportive that this is Paige’s journey, and no one else’s journey."
Fresh off her NCAA National Championship, Paige Bueckers was drafted No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings.
(Photo by Melanie Fidler/NBAE via Getty Images)
Despite the pressure to succeed (and to live up to the Caitlin Clark comparisons), Bueckers said she's pumped to make a name for herself in her new city.
"I want to give everything I have to the organization, to the city," the 23-year-old said. "I know Dallas is a sports city. I’m walking in there wanting to be a great leader, a great teammate, wanting to be a winner at all levels, wearing that jersey and representing that city with pride and a passion and joy for the game of basketball. I want to give to that community. I want to be invested in it. We’re all looking to do something special."
Clark's Indiana Fever and Bueckers' Wings will face off on June 27 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. According to Ticketmaster, the get-in price starts at $317, but courtside seats re-sold for nearly $5,000 a piece.