Paige Bueckers Praised Caitlin Clark for Carrying 'Weight of the World' Burden

UConn star Paige Bueckers praised Caitlin Clark for her contributions to women's basketball during a package honoring Clark's Iowa tenure.
Apr 5, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) and Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) react in the second quarter in the semifinals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Apr 5, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) and Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) react in the second quarter in the semifinals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Everyone is familiar with Caitlin Clark by now. That's because Clark completely changed the landscape of women's basketball in going from her legendary college career at Iowa to becoming WNBA Rookie of the Year with the Indiana Fever.

But with Clark back in the building (reuniting with former coach Lisa Bluder) to watch the Hawkeyes, the timing was appropriate for a piece to be released honoring her Iowa tenure. Which is exactly what happened Sunday through a package from Fox College Hoops.

The video edit featured pre-recorded comments from some of the biggest names in the sport. A list that included UConn coach Geno Auriemma, Huskies star Paige Bueckers, USC standout JuJu Watkins, and current Iowa coach Jan Jensen.

Nearly everyone involved praised the impact that Clark has had on the game, but remarks from Bueckers stood out given she seemed to also understand what comes along with that.

“Caitlin brought so much new attention to the rise in women's college basketball, and the WNBA, and women's sports in general...I feel like the weight of the world is on her shoulders. And she just has this heavy burden to carry and she does it with grace and humility," Bueckers said.

Paige can probably relate to some of what she had to say about Caitlin, who she has been compared to in the past, since Bueckers has also received plenty of coverage and is expected to be the first pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft.

Regardless, Bueckers' comments hold weight considering she recognized the weight that Clark has to carry. A heavy burden that comes with her explosive popularity.


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Robin Lundberg
ROBIN LUNDBERG

Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!