Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers have been pitted against each other since their collegiate days. Both players were top-five recruits in the class of 2020 and lived up to their billing with incredible careers.
Clark went on to become the all-time scoring leader in NCAA Division I history (both men’s and women’s) before the Fever selected her with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
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Bueckers, for her part, won a national championship in her final year with the UConn Huskies — which prompted discussions because Clark was unable to win a title with the Iowa Hawkeyes despite two trips to the title game. The Wings took Bueckers No. 1 overall in the 2025 draft as well.
Their “rivalry” has continued in the pros. Every time Bueckers surpassed or matched a Clark record, the debate on who’s better between them only intensified.
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) celebrates after a WNBA game. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
(Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
In an interview with Kylie Kelce on Kelce’s “Not Gonna Lie” podcast, however, Bueckers clarified that she and Clark are friends and share a mutual respect. She added that the “hate” narrative surrounding them is all manufactured by the media.
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“It’s crazy because everybody’s pinning me and Caitlin against each other for the longest time,” Bueckers told Kelce. “I mean, we’re cool. We’re friends, but again it’s respect of the competition, so we understand that. We understand how media works and how they want to pin two people against each other and they’re supposed to hate each other and blah, blah, blah.”
Kelce asked Bueckers about the possibility of her and Clark teaming up for Team USA. To recall, the two were part of the USA training camp in December in preparation for the FIBA Women’s World Cup, scheduled for Sept. 4-13 in Berlin.
Bueckers couldn’t help but point out that their fans, who obviously “really hate each other,” would have to be on the same side should she and the Fever star both be selected for the national team.
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“At the same time to have two fan bases that really hate each other have to come together for a couple months will be really fun,” Bueckers continued. “So everyone will just have to get along for a little bit.”
It remains to be seen if Bueckers and Clark will be selected to represent the U.S. team in the World Cup. If they do, the Wings star is clearly expecting to see their fans come together to cheer for both of them.
Related: Paige Bueckers Off-Court News Announced After First WNBA Season
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.