ESPN Analyst Asserts Paige Bueckers Puts People to Sleep

ESPN's Elle Duncan Explains Why Paige Bueckers Can't Match Caitlin Clark's Superstardom

ESPN anchor and women's basketball analyst Elle Duncan was the guest on a September 18 episode of the A Touch More podcast, which is co-hosted by WNBA legend Sue Bird. And at one point in the episode, the group got to discussing why Bueckers hasn't been able to match Clark's global superstardom despite their similar success.

"Why hasn't Paige resonated in the same way that Caitlin did? I think there's a bevy of reasons. But I also think that people find efficiency to be particularly sexy," Duncan said. "Caitlin is incredible, her dishes are stupid, all of those things.

"And Paige is efficient as h***. And that is enough to put people to sleep," Duncan continued. "Because [people are] like, 'I don't know what that means, and I don't care. Where are the highlights? Where are the crazy behind-the-back passes? Where are you shooting from the logo?' Paige just always makes the right decision."

She then added, "And I think those things are not particularly sexy, which is why people don't give her the same sort of attention, and they're not maybe as, like, crazy about what she's able to do."

While Duncan presents a solid argument, her word choice is sure to irk some of Bueckers' fans.

Elle Duncan's Stance on Paige Bueckers' 'Hot Girlfriend' Raises Eyebrows

This isn't the first thing Elle Duncan has said about Bueckers this week that's turning heads. When signing off a September 16 SportsCenter program, Duncan was speaking of Bueckers and said, "Yeah. Also, just like cool, chill, perfect, wonderful, has a hot girlfriend. Can I be Paige when I grow up?"

Duncan was referring to Bueckers' girlfriend and former UConn teammate, Azzi Fudd. Several folks found this comment strange, especially because Duncan is 20 years older than Fudd.