Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark Gets Honest on Paige Bueckers Before Fever Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated Jul 13, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Indiana Fever stayed home Sunday for a crucial matchup with the Dallas Wings at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Sitting 10-10 on the 2025 WNBA season coming off Friday's big win over the Atlanta Dream, the Fever will be looking to get back above .500.

On the other side, you have the Wings, currently 6-15 and having already lost to Indiana once this season, falling 94-86 at home on June 27.

However, Sunday's matchup will be the first time Caitlin Clark of the Fever and Paige Bueckers of the Wings will face off in the WNBA.

Ahead of the highly anticipated contest, a reporter asked Clark about her relationship with Bueckers, both No. 1 overall draft picks who dominated in college.

"Yeah, I mean, we’ve always been friends. I wouldn’t say we’re best friends and talk all the time. It’s hard when you end up going your separate ways and are at different colleges," Clark said.

"I’ve always been a fan of hers and always been supportive. ... I admire the confidence she has in herself. ... As a competitor, that’s what you really love ... her leadership. ... You could feel that, especially at UConn and now in the W, she’s certainly a leader of the Wings."

Caitlin on her friendship with Paige

“We’ve always been friends. I wouldn’t say we’re best friends and talk all the time. It’s hard when you end up going your separate ways and are at different colleges...I’ve always been a fan of hers and always been supportive.” pic.twitter.com/EqsJ6GqZNs
— correlation (@nosyone4) July 13, 2025

Clark left the Iowa Hawkeyes as the NCAA Division I’s all‑time leading scorer, finishing with 3,951  career points and 548 3‑pointers, a feat no other Division I player (men’s or women’s) has matched.

She also became the first Division I athlete to record over 3,600 points, 1,000 assists and 850 rebounds in a career.

Bueckers, meanwhile, was a three-time Big East Player of the Year, three-time All-American and the first college freshman to win the AP Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year and John R. Wooden Award.

Last year, she led the UConn Huskies to their 12th NCAA title, earning Final Four All-Tournament honors, the Wade Trophy, Honda Sports Award and the Nancy Lieberman Award.

Despite diverging paths, Clark to Iowa, Bueckers to UConn, they both left lasting legacies at their respective programs and are two of the biggest faces in the WNBA.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: