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Paige Bueckers Shared Powerful Quote on Caitlin Clark Ahead of WNBA Future

Kristen Wong

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The upcoming WNBA season is sure to be an entertaining one with not only Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark entering her sophomore campaign, but a young new star set to share some of the spotlight as well.

UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, has long wowed fans in the Big East, and she appears primed to join the Dallas Wings next April based on Sunday’s draft lottery results.

Bueckers, 23, looks like one of the most WNBA-ready prospects in the draft with her efficient shooting and dynamic play on the court, all qualities she shares with Clark.

Ahead of Bueckers’s impending transition to the W, she offered a simple but powerful quote on the Fever star:

“Caitlin brought so much new attention to the rise of women’s college basketball and the WNBA and women’s sports in general,” Bueckers said. “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.”

Clark has certainly navigated through plenty of obstacles this past season, and chances are Bueckers will face her own personal challenges in her rookie year in the WNBA, too.

Last April, Bueckers was asked about potentially replacing Clark as the darling of women’s college basketball. This was her humble response:

“I think it’s more important for the game to share the spotlight… I honestly hope next year I'm not the focal point and the only person that gets attention. I hope as media, as players, we can spread the love a little bit more,” Bueckers said. 

The Wings will have the first overall pick in the WNBA draft, followed by the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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