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Former Fever Player Reveals Striking Similarity Between Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Jun 28, 2025 10:51 PM ET

NaLyssa Smith, who the Indiana Fever traded to the Dallas Wings in February, has the privilege of having been teammates with both Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers.

Smith played alongside Clark during the latter's historic rookie campaign last year, and the 6-foot-4 forward is now teammates with Bueckers in the former UConn star's debut season.

Smith spoke to reporters on Friday ahead of the highly anticipated matchup between the Fever and the Wings, and one of the things she opened up on is the striking similarity between Clark and Bueckers.

According to Smith, playing alongside two of the top young stars in the WNBA provides a similar experience for her in terms of fan reception.

“It’s the same experience,” Smith said, via Nathan Baird of IndyStar. “Going on the road, they all sound like home games, too. They’re cheering loud for Paige and for the team. They’re very similar environments.

“That’s why them two together in this arena — it's going to be insane.”

Much like Clark did last season, Bueckers has also taken the WNBA by storm as a rookie. As Smith pointed out, the fact that Bueckers draws in hordes of fans during road games is a testament to this fact.

Unfortunately, Clark and Bueckers' first meeting had to be postponed. This was after the Fever superstar was ruled out of Friday's game due to a groin injury. As Smith said, the first-ever WNBA clash between these two would be "insane," but at this point, the fans will need to wait a bit more before it finally happens.

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

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