Caitlin Clark's next great rivalry could drive WNBA for years to come

The WNBA has officially cemented its spot on the map and Caitlin Clark is deserving of most of the credit. Attention swirled around her and Angel Reese's rivalry that dated back to their days at the collegiate level and would quickly translate to the WNBA spotlight. Now that they have faced each other multiple times in their first two seasons, eyes are searching for that next big rivalry.

Fans may be familiar with another solid up-and-coming player behind Clark by the name of Paige Bueckers. In fact, the two players have much of the same athletic traits and bring equal attention like Reese-Clark has. After all, they're both two prominent stars in women's sports, not exclusive to just basketball.

Similarly to Clark, Bueckers was selected No.1 overall by the Dallas Wings in this year's WNBA Draft and is currently the favorite for Rookie of the Year, which many may recall Clark also won in 2024. In college, Bueckers led Uconn to four Big East tournament wins while Clark helped lead Iowa to three conference titles.

How do Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers compare?

Both have faced each other just twice at the collegiate level (Sweet Sixteen in 2021 & Final Four 2024). Once Clark exited college, the attention quickly shifted to Bueckers. They currently stand at an even 1-1 record when faced head-to-head. In their first meeting in the NCAA tournament in 2021, they put up similar stats.

Bueckers as a freshman produced 18 points and 8 assists to Clark's 21 points and 5 assists, who was also a freshman.

Clark is known for her high scoring and assists while Bueckers is best known for her all-around efficiency. Dating back to college, there has been much discussion regarding which one stands tall as the better player - when actually they both are equally efficient, just in different areas.

Both Clark and Bueckers led the way in the NCAA and shared a stake of the Freshman of the Year award in 2021 - among earning several other awards each.

Caitlin Clark is a prolific, long range shooter while Bueckers is a strong player defensively. The WNBA's rookies for the last two seasons have quickly staked their claims in the league.

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In just her seventh game of her pro career, Bueckers tallied 35 points, shot 13-of-19 in field-goal attempts and was 5-of-7 from three-point range making her just the second rookie ever to put up 35+ points and 5+ in three-pointers made, second to just Caitlin Clark.

Although not concrete just yet, fans anticipate that Clark will be tasked with guarding Bueckers throughout their match-up. A stacked performance from both players can be expected given their brief history.

Historically, Bueckers has allowed Clark into double digits and will have to find a way to tame her fast pace tempo forcing her to make poor decisions with the ball. As for Clark, keeping Bueckers in front of her will be a tall task due to her stellar play-making ability.

Both are expected to be key representatives for the WNBA for several years to come. Their first meeting on June 27 in Dallas is anticipated to bring high ticket demands and draw a great amount of viewers.