"Martin Luther Paige strikes again": Fans react as Paige Bueckers talks white privilege and marketing inequality in sport

Paige Bueckers is turning heads around the WNBA world, but it isn't for what she is doing on the court for the Dallas Wings. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft made waves when she spoke to Time Magazine about how she believes African American women are underrepresented in the media.

Bueckers' stepmother, who is African American, helped her see the world differently, and the Wings rookie wants black women to receive the media coverage she feels they deserve.

“It’s still an issue, every single day,” Bueckers said. “There’s not ever equal coverage. There’s white privilege every single day that I see. I feel like I’ve worked extremely hard, blessed by God. But I do think there’s more opportunities for me.

"I feel like even just marketability, people tend to favor white people, white males, white women. I think it should be equal opportunity. I feel like there is privilege to what I have, and to what all white people have. I recognize that, I want to counteract that with the way I go about my business.”

Bueckers reiterated the same sentiment the following day during media duties. Winsidr journalist C.C. Dunham, Esq. posted the following tweet on May 9.

“Paige Bueckers told me during media availability that her diverse upbringing, including her Black stepmother, shaped her awareness. She said the clear undercoverage of Black women inspired her to use her platform to speak up in the Time magazine article.”

Paige Bueckers explained how her upbringing informs her perspective

And, predictably, WNBA fans have had plenty to say about it. Some weren't so enthusiastic about Bueckers' comments, wanting her to focus on her rookie season instead:

"Martin Luther Paige strikes again! Why don’t y’all inquire about if she’s planning on averaging over 10ppg this szn. She’s supposed to be carrying a franchise 😭," one fan said.

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"Is this Paige’s entire personality…?" asked one fan. "She’s a professional basketball player. Sis doesn’t need to keep addressing this. It’s boring. The point has been made."

"Is this going to be the narrative for this season, can we have regular basketball questions, or anything lazy journalism," said another.

"Why don’t you build her a statue already. Paige X. Ridiculous questions lead to more ridiculous answers," another fan commented. "Stop pandering. Why don’t you cover all these black women instead of asking the white girl to talk about the black women."

"Can you guys just focus on basketball and grow the women game without being weird?" said one fan. "You can learn a thing or rwo from the NBA."

"Are y’all done asking the same old questions?" complained another. "Are y’all gonna actually uplift black women and athletes and promote them?"

"Under covered? I can list so many black athletes who get LOTS of coverage over the years. It is the WNBA that doesn’t have much coverage, but they didn’t have coverage for anybody regardless of race until CC came along," one fan explained.

As upset as fans are at Bueckers for focusing on this issue, they are just as frustrated with the media's role. WNBA fans are slamming the media world, wondering why they keep asking Bueckers the same questions again and again instead of making a change based on her statements.

WNBA fans are curious about how the league will welcome Paige Bueckers

For the past two years, the top picks in the WNBA draft have been white women. Both Paige Bueckers and Clark entered the league surrounded by questions about how their new peers would view them as rookies. Clark had a tough time initially in her first season with the Indiana Fever, facing ridicule and hate from people all around the league.

Fans are curious as to how Bueckers will be received. While she and Clark were both top selections, Bueckers has been in the spotlight for longer than Clark. The Fever superstar broke onto the scene in Iowa in 2022, making a name for herself in the NCAA Tournament, while Paige Bueckers has been an extremely popular player for many years.

About the author

Zachary Howell is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with a degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from Syracuse University and over a year of experience in the field.

Being introduced to the digital side of content inspired Zachary to become a writer, and his love of basketball made this an obvious transition.

His favorite team is the OKC Thunder, and Zachary started following them in 2011 when they were on the rise with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. His favorite basketball players from the past are Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal. Those three came to define their eras of basketball and were dominant without beating their chests too much. Zachary is a big fan of quiet greatness and these three players are good embodiments of that.

When not writing or watching sports, Zachary enjoys reading and exercising, as well as gaming. He loves to be outside and spend time with friends and family, including his three dogs.

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Edited by Zachary Howell