I Waited Two Years to Say This About Caitlin Clark
The media crowned its golden child, Paige Bueckers got hurt, and women’s basketball changed forever. Now that they’re finally sharing the WNBA stage, I have thoughts.
By Meredith LaBorde
To start this piece, I should say I’ve been putting this off for quite some time. I wanted a season or two to pass so I didn’t come off as some cliché sports fan hating on Caitlin Clark. I wanted things to die down a bit before interjecting my two cents. And now, lucky for you readers, the time has come only because I came across a piece by Complex, How Paige Bueckers Took Caitlin Clark’s Spot, claiming Paige Bueckers has taken Clark’s spot in the WNBA. The piece described how Bueckers has surpassed Clark in both PPG (points per game if you’re new here) this season among other things (like, being a better person— just kidding, the piece didn’t say that. The piece actually thinks Clark has a better aura. I disagree.) And after discussing with my fellow podcaster and creator of Sports & Mimosas, Erin, I decided the time has come for me to deliver my “hot take” as the youths call it.
Paige Bueckers was always going to surpass Caitlin Clark because Clark only has a platform because of Bueckers.
Yeah, I said it. And I feel immensely better for it.
LETS GO BACK IN TIME…
Time for a little backstory. Bueckers has never been a stranger to the basketball scene. To put it gently, I barely followed the sport at the time, yet I knew her name and that she was a big deal. Ever since she entered her college career at UConn (a powerhouse in women’s basketball), Bueckers was quickly put in the same conversations as other UConn greats like Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird, and Diana Taurasi just to name a few as she became the team’s leader for her freshman season in 2020 and set records for UConn and NCAA history, including a total of 168 assists, setting a single-season record for UConn and the first freshman to win the Nancy Leiberman Award as the top point guard in the division. She helped play a key role to take UConn to the Final Four, where they lost to Arizona, finishing the season with a 28-2 record. She won endless awards that year, including the ESPY for Best Female College Athlete where she used her platform to bring attention to the contributions and underrepresentation of Black women in sports during her acceptance speech , all as a freshman. Her sophomore year included a minor injury that put her out for a few weeks, majorly affecting UConn’s record, but a bounce back led them to an impressive National Championship run. However, it wasn’t enough as they fell to South Carolina on the main stage 64-49. Bueckers dropped impressive numbers that game, being the only UConn player to score in double digits. She was entering her junior year with high potential and all eyes on her.
However, life had other plans for Bueckers. It was announced at the beginning of the 2022-2023 season, Bueckers had torn her ACL (big deal in the sports world) and would miss the entire season, what I refer to as her red shirt season. With this redshirt season, she received additional year of college eligibility (remember this nugget later.) So, with Bueckers out for the season, the spotlight was suddenly up for grabs. Enter stage left: Caitlin Clark.
It would be very ignorant of me to suggest that Clark lacks talent— she clearly does not. She has great talent. As a freshman, she shared two awards with Bueckers: the Tamika Catchings Award and the WBCA Freshman of the Year award. She went on to record more triple-doubles during her college career than I care to count and was repeatedly named Big Ten Player of the Year. The girl has talent. But was she someone with a great deal of media attention? Not yet.
Full disclosure: the next section is going to be a bit of a history lesson. If you already know this part of the story, feel free to skip ahead to the present day. But for those who are just joining us—or could use a refresher—stick with me. This history matters to understanding how we got to where we are today.
When Caitlin Clark Became Caitlin Clark
I could go into the basics of what makes an athlete marketable, but for the sake of your attention span, I will just say this: you need your moment. A viral moment at that. And Clark got hers during Iowa’s 2022-2023 Elite Eight matchup against Louisville.
Facing another major name in women’s college basketball at the time, Hailey Van Lith, Clark led Iowa to a 97–83 victory and, along the way, hit the famous John Cena “You Can’t See Me” gesture. With Clark’s momentum and Iowa making a deep tournament run, it was perfect media material. It spread across social media, sports shows, news clips— you name it. GOLD.
And the story only got better. The win sent Iowa to its first Final Four since 1993. Sports fans were eating it up. Everyone loves a good underdog story, and Iowa gave fans one more reason to buy in when they upset undefeated defending champion South Carolina in the Final Four. Clark finally had the spotlight on her as she approached the National Championship.
Now consider what the media landscape looked like heading into that championship game: Bueckers was sidelined, with an injury, UConn had been eliminated in the Sweet 16, defending champion South Carolina was out, and waiting on the other side was LSU, led by another emerging star in Angel Reese. The ingredients for a compelling national storyline were all there, and the media quickly picked a favorite in Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes going into this game.
Again, for your attention span, I will also spare you the media history lesson of how this game went down. There was an obvious favorite, there was a villain, and the way those roles were assigned was rooted in issues we do not have nearly enough time to unpack here—although there is plenty of discourse online if you want to go down that rabbit hole.
Spoiler alert: LSU won. Reese returned Clark’s “You Can’t See Me” gesture in the final moments. The media had a field day. LSU captured their first ever National Championship in Coach Kim Mulkey’s second season with the program, and the media walked away with plenty of ammo to fuel an entire offseason leading into Clark and Reese’s senior seasons. It is also important to state this game set records including the highest viewership for a women’s college basketball game at 9.9 million viewers, more than doubling from the previous season.
This game changed something in women’s basketball. It showed a massive audience what longtime fans already knew: the women’s game had talent, personalities, and entertainment value. I don’t think one person was responsible for that shift. Many players are at play (pun intended) in changing the trajectory of the sport. While I am not in charge of the media, I did study it. And with this shift, the media now had a rising superstar, a rivalry, and millions of newly interested viewers. GOLD. Although Clark lost in the big game, she provided enough for the media to now keep their eyes on her for her final collegiate season. By 2023, more eyes were on the sport, the players, and the stories.
Bueckers and Clark had impressive 2023-2024 seasons. Nothing new there, except now there was more coverage.Their paths eventually crossed again on one of college basketball’s biggest stages, with UConn and Iowa meeting in the Final Four. Full disclosure: I don’t remember the game being heavily marketed as Clark vs. Bueckers. Would I be surprised if it was? Not really. But I do remember it being a close game. Iowa won 71-69 to be exact. And I do remember Iowa losing in the final game against South Carolina in a rematch, 75-87 to be exact. Clark would then become the No. 1 pick in the WNBA, selected by the Indiana Fever, while Buekers would return to UConn for her additional year of eligibility (bring in that nugget!) And just like that, their paths diverged again, giving each of them another year to exist in the basketball world without being directly pitted against the other.
Apologies for another history lesson but I promise it has a point (like the Tracy Marsinco story in the climatic Legally Blonde scene!)
Clark’s intro to the WNBA was filled with discourse. Like, to the brim. By this point , she was firmly established as the media’s golden child. She was credited as “the reason” season tickets soared, WNBA players coverage increased, teams received more perks (private jets!), and the list goes on. She was featured in magazines, dressed in Prada, spotlight after spotlight.
And then the narrative got complicated. Veteran WNBA players—many of whom had spent years building the league Clark was now entering—were suddenly being told they should be “grateful”for the attention she brought with her. So, when said veteran players continued to do their job and played defensively against the media’s golden child, let’s just say, the media was not happy. It became a constant battle between Clark vs the League which also brought up the undertones of race, privilege, and other important topics that are impossible to not recognize in today’s climate. I won’t go into great detail (alas attention spans!) but I will include some links* for you to read for your pleasure. Clark did have impressive numbers her rookie season— she was the first WNBA rookie to ever record a triple-double, set the WNBA single-games assists record, and broke the record for three-pointers made in a rookie season just to name a few. However, the loudness of the media coverage and Clark’s lack of acknowledgement slightly overshadowed them.
While all of this was taking place on the professional level, Bueckers was back at UConn for one final season—and arguably better than ever. She led the Huskies through an undefeated 18-0 Big East season and all the way to the program’s 12th NCAA national title, defeating the reigning champs South Carolina in 82-59 blowout, securing her first national championship. It was a storybook ending for someone who had gone through hardships and had gotten close so many times. Following the win, Bueckers declared for the WNBA draft, where she followed a familiar path: No. 1 overall pick, selected by the Dallas Wings.
Fast Forward: The 2025 Season
Both Bueckers and Clark faced their own wins and struggles. Bueckers became the fastest player in league history to reach 200 points, 50 rebounds, and 50 assists while also experiencing rookie woos of an underperforming team. Caitlin led the Fever to a few winning streaks but also battled some injuries throughout the season. However, I will note Bueckers entered the league with a much different reception. She was already well-respected among players across the WNBA, so her arrival came without much of the scrutiny or tension that surrounded Clark’s debut. She also quickly proved that she belonged—the whole “fastest player” thing I mentioned earlier certainly helped. Beyond the numbers, Bueckers seemed to navigate her growing platform differently, presenting herself in a way that felt more accessible and relatable while still establishing herself as one of the league’s rising stars.
PRESENT DAY
We made it, guys! Thank you for sticking with me. The 2026 season is here and nearly finished, but it has not been without its drama. If I had to give a SparkNotes version of this season, I would include the following:
One hell of an All Star Game and Week
Rookies like Olivia Miles are making IMPACT
Crazy trades like Kelsey Plum to Phoenix
Unpopular commissioner (is there ever a popular one?)
It is still undecided on who is allowed to talk politics (Sophie Cunningham)
But for the sake of this article’s topic, I will focus on this:
Caitlin Clark is not so golden!
Paige Bueckers is adored and respected by literally everyone.
At the time of this article being published, Clark sits at third in the league for points scored (21.7) and second in assists (8.2). Bueckers ranks 7th and 8th respectively. Technically, Clark is having a better season. Yet I can’t tell you a single article I have seen complimenting it. I can, however, tell you an estimate of how many articles I have seen about her flagrant fouls, whining to refs, shutting down her coach, defending her coach, etc. etc. Maybe in some sick way, this does sell your league to the outsiders. The saying “bad press is still good press” exists for a reason. But this isn’t the stuff I would want to be coming from my “star player.” Even Shaq is telling her to suck it up.
Clark still hasn’t been able to shake the drama that seems to follow wherever she goes. She has ignored teammates , she seems to have a close relationship with her polarizing teammate Sophie Cunnigham, which brings its own dose of frenzy, and she refuses to acknowledge the heat that comes with being in the WNBA— instead continues to paint herself as a victim. This is the professional league, baby girl.
I also think the media ran into a problem this year, a problem I knew was going to catch up to them (props to anyone who had to listen to me talk about this after two frozen margs!) They realized they made a mistake when choosing their golden child a little too early— they forgot to make their golden child likeable.
I feel a little mean saying that as a woman, but Clark isn’t likeable. You can put her on my favorite sports show (ManningCast, duh), and no matter how great Peyton Manning’s interview questions are, she still comes off as a little rigid, tight, and cold. Yes, she can hit three pointers, but half the time her coverage on the court is just her being extremely vocal about her not being treated fairly. She’s not marketable to the masses. She’s marketable to one type of audience and one type only. And that’s where the WNBA went wrong and the media as a whole.
Bueckers was always going to take her spot on the throne and own it. And I personally am glad her time has come. Her college career was filled with adversity moments she had to overcome, and let’s not forget, she actually won a title. She handles every press conference with poise while also coming off as someone you want to just sit around and talk nonsense with. Her off-the-court moments shine, her moments with her old coach Gino and old UConn alum show her silly side, and her ability to go from trash talking on the court to laughing on the bench shows she enjoys this game while also taking it seriously. She also is extremely respected by her peers– this year she led the All-Star fan vote along with A’ja Wilson and received 33% of the vote in a general manager survey as the player they would most want to build a franchise around- an honor also once held by CC. The difference is… well, everything I just said before that sentence. There isn’t just one type of fan that majorly stands behind Bueckers. That is marketable. That sells. That helps your league grow.
It could be argued the media realized they made a mistake and have now helped create the new narrative that Clark isn’t the golden child anymore. Maybe there are nice moments of her visiting her childhood court or seeming like your best friend in middle school and the media is just choosing to not show us. Or maybe it doesn’t exist at all. Alas, that’s a topic for another day when I’ve had a marg or two. For now, she isn’t
The Fever currently have a 21-12 season while the Wings are close behind with a 20-14 season. The two face off tonight in Indiana, and I am sure it will be a show of talent on both sides. And I’m lowkey hoping for some throwback clips to the viral moment of them at All Star week.
I don’t know who will win tonight. I don’t know where the season goes from here, nor do I know what Clark and Bueckers will accomplish by the end of the season. But I do know that we are watching two very talented players with two very different impacts on the game on and off the court. And we get to be the judge of who is doing it the best.
The Rabbit Hole Starts Here: Extra Reading
