Imago
Via Imagn
Imago
Via Imagn
The 2026 WNBA GM Survey ended up reigniting one of the biggest debates in basketball – Caitlin Clark versus Paige Bueckers. When the results came out, Clark didn’t hold the same ground she used to, with her name finishing second or completely falling out of the top three in several categories. Still, if you were to ask Lisa Leslie, people around the league may be overlooking the bigger picture entirely.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
During a recent appearance on First Take, Leslie did not hold back when asked about the GM voting results.
“All those GMs probably gonna get fired, because this is a money business. And the money is about Caitlin Clark,” she said. “Never in the history of the WNBA, have we had a player force teams to get into larger arenas. I’ve never seen that happen. If you’re the GM, you’re obviously supposed to be bringing in money. That’s revenue. I’m going with Caitlin Clark.”
Top Stories
Lisa Leslie on the GM poll choosing Paige over Caitlin to start a franchise:
— allison (@_girltalk) May 14, 2026
“All those GMs are p gonna get fired because this is a money business, and the $$$ is about Caitlin Clark. Never before have we had a player force teams to go to bigger arenas… I’m going with CC.” pic.twitter.com/skXdg7ZDPU
Now, that reaction is exactly why the survey results became so controversial in the first place.
Among one of the biggest surprises was the “Which player would you start a franchise with?” category. Just one year ago, Clark dominated that exact question with 50% of the vote. However, this time, Bueckers took the top spot with 33%, while Clark tied for second alongside A’ja Wilson at 20%.
That dramatic shift left many confused because while Bueckers’ rise has been undeniable, they still view Clark as the face of the league and arguably its most impactful player both on and off the court. And apparently, the WNBA legend feels the same way.
This does not mean that Caitlin Clark is not one of the league’s elites. It just reflects how rapidly Bueckers’ reputation has grown entering her second WNBA season.
She brings a balanced, system-friendly style that many executives love. Even though her team struggled badly during the 2025 season and finished with a 10-34 record, Bueckers still averaged 19.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. She even went on to secure the Rookie of the Year title. So it’s not hard to see why some believe she offers the safer long-term foundation.
However, when it comes to production, Clark is right next to her. While her second year was cut short, during her rookie season, she led the entire league in total assists and assists per game, finishing in the top four in MVP voting.
That’s why Lisa Leslie’s perspective has caught everyone’s eye. While fans continue to debate who the better overall player is, she pointed to the ‘Caitlin Clark effect.’
Ever since Clark entered the WNBA, the league’s visibility has exploded at a level that not everyone believed was even possible. Attendance numbers surged, merchandise sales skyrocketed, and national television interest jumped dramatically, among many things.
To put it in perspective, this season, the WNBA will air all 44 Fever games on national TV, marking not only a franchise record but also the highest number ever for a single team in WNBA history. This also makes them the only team in the league with 100 percent of their games nationally broadcast.
Ironically, the team with the second-most national TV games is the Dallas Wings with 36. One clear thing is that the debate over who truly sits at the top is far from over.
Caitlin Clark Now Has the Perfect Motivation
Last season, injuries limited Clark to just 13 games, and that absence became the most common explanation behind her drop in the GM Survey rankings. Heading into this year, she doesn’t just have one job – she has two. She must make up for lost time and, at the same time, remind everyone why they viewed her as the league’s defining young star in the first place.
Imago
May 13, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives to the basket in the second half against the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Indiana Fever have just started their regular season, having played two games so far, going 1-1. Interestingly, their defeat came at the hands of Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings, which only stoked the ongoing comparison between the two rising stars.
But at the same time, it’s still early in the season, and the Fever are clearly taking a cautious approach with their star. The franchise has been easing her back into full workload management, especially after last season’s setbacks. Notably, during the season opener, she had to head to the locker room multiple times as part of her health management routine. The priority right now is long-term availability.
Clark and Bueckers will lock horns once again on August 14 when the Fever and Wings meet again, and both of them will have another chance to prove who is really leading this new generation.
Until then, fans will keep their eyes on Caitlin Clark to see how she settles back into a season that feels like it carries more weight than ever before.
Written by
Edited by
Siddharth Rawat