Paige Bueckers was at it again. She dominated the court against a surging LA Sparks side and dropped a performance few have seen before. With a 44-point display while carrying a subpar Dallas side on her back, the 2025 Rookie of the Year tied Cynthia Cooper’s rookie single-game scoring record, set during the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997. While Kelsey Plum dampened the occasion for Bueckers with her last-second winner, her performance was still one for the ages. Yet, the conversation soon divided into two contrasting storylines…

The first started as a wholesome display of appreciation. Amid Bueckers shooting 4-4 from the 3-point line while going 17-21 from the field, and etching history, she moved on from her own milestone quickly. “My teammates just looking for me, getting me open. That’s really just them,” the player said in the post-game conference, crediting her teammates instead. Thankfully, the community wouldn’t let her forget about her achievements anytime soon. “paige hoopin,” a comment came from Memphis Grizzlies star, Ja Morant.

“Idk where y’all can watch this game but Paige and Rickea goin at it rn,” wrote OKC power forward, and 2025 champion, Chet Holmgren, who was in the stadium to watch Bueckers’ magic along with Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green. Holmgren couldn’t believe his eyes when Bueckers went past 40, writing, “Turn this shit on Paige got 40😭😭😭.”  But they weren’t the only ones.

Sparks co-owner, and the legend himself, Magic Johnson, couldn’t let the moment pass. “I have to give Page Bueckers some love for hitting 44 points in last night’s game, the most points by a rookie in WNBA history and the most points in a game by any player this season! 🔥” he wrote. 

However, not everyone was impressed with the attention Paige was getting… which brings us to the second storyline…

Caitlin Clark’s rookie season vs Paige Bueckers’ has been the story of the season. The Dallas guard has surpassed a couple of Clark’s records, too. More recently, she became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 500 or more points and 150 or more assists– 28 games, one quicker than the Fever sensation. So when Bueckers dominated the headlines again, it was Clark’s fans attempting to keep her untouchable.

Fans accuse basketball community of overhyping Paige Bueckers

Bueckers is the best rookie in the league by far, while averaging 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, making her the ROTY favourite. Those numbers place her among the best in the league even without the rookie filter. However, many Caitlin Clark fans argue that her off-court impact has not been on Clark’s level. A faction of fans even claimed that the recent NBA hype around Bueckers felt manufactured.

So after WNBA shared every reaction Bueckers had received, captioning, “PB5 had everybody talking last night,” not everyone was on board. “Everybody ? ? Mostly unknowns and unlikeables,” one of them wrote.

“@wnba never showed this much attention and love to Caitlin Clark.” wrote another fan. That’s been another popular narrative. If Clark vs the league wasn’t enough to fuel the fire, further contributed by Sophie Cunningham’s admission of Phoenix targeting her as a rookie, the UConn treatment towards Paige is only making things worse. With the Husky elites scattered around the league in the likes of Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, Bueckers’ welcome has been rather warm. She is even called their ‘baby Husky’ and fans clearly don’t like the difference. 

Another fan further pointed out Bueckers is not bringing that viewership, writing, “No, no one was even watching. Prove me wrong.” It’s no secret that Clark’s absence has caused a dip in the viewership and ticket prices. She even helped record the league’s peak viewership at a staggering 2.7 million. The same, however, hasn’t been the case for Bueckers, and given a chance, fans are playing that card. However, it wasn’t all negative. 

That record deserves some applause, so the hooping community showed up too. “The people champ. Let’s go Paige 👏🏾👏🏾💯💯🔥” one of them cheered. As Chris Koclanes noted after the game, the young guard solidified her case with the performance, and there’s no two ways about it. Seems like many agree. “So so massive” came another comment. But of course, it wasn’t just the NBA or the fans. 

DiJonai carrington, NaLyssa Smith, and Tyasha Harris were among a few more who were spell-bound. While Clark has had a whole different impact, it’s no lie Paige is helping take the league to different heights, too.