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Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has played a part in the WNBA’s surging popularity. Last season, she had to contend with comparisons between her and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese from fans and the media.
She appeared to win that battle when she won the 2024 Rookie of the Year. In her sophomore season, she is now being compared to Dallas Wings’ No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, Paige Bueckers, by media personality Colin Cowherd.
Cowherd, on Wednesday's episode of his show, "The Herd," picked Bueckers over Clark.
“She’s been a phenom since she was in the sixth grade,” Cowherd said (Timestamp: 0:42). “She's a better pure scorer, eventually a better shooter.
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“So it's very possible in back-to-back years you're going to get the two most popular WNBA players ever. ... So Paige Bueckers, when she was at UConn, she was the women's college basketball player of the year as a freshman. She was much better than Caitlin Clark much earlier in life.”
Clark led her team, Iowa, to consecutive championship games without top-tier teammates. Bueckers, on the other hand, had a stronger supporting cast, including Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, who've helped the team win a national title.
Clark holds the record for most NCAA points scored (3,951) and had a remarkable rookie season in the WNBA, averaging 17.1 points, 8.2 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Colin Cowherd lists the only players more famous than Caitlin Clark
Colin Cowherd, on his show "The Colin Cowherd Podcast" on Tuesday, alongside Nick Wright, mentioned two players who are more famous than Caitlin Clark.
"In one year, out of women's basketball, for a horrible team when she arrived, outside of LeBron and Steph, she is the most well-known basketball player currently playing in the United States," Cowherd said (Timestamp: 14:28).
The Clark era has led to an increased popularity in women’s sports. While Cowherd’s comments might seem controversial, no active player can have the same impact on the WNBA she has had since making her professional debut.
