Paige Bueckers arrived at the WNBA with a bag big enough to have her touted as the ROY frontrunner. But when you have someone like Geno Auriemma confirm, “It’s been a while since you’ve had two kids [Bueckers and Caitlin Clark] that have had this kind of an impact,” right in her college freshman year, the comparisons aren’t far from stealing the storylines. So while Paige has denied running that race, was there an advantage in the narrative for the 2025 rookie phenom?

“There is this seeming desire to be able to wish or will other players into Caitlin Clark’s level of popularity,” Robin Lundberg explained on the latest episode of his namesake show. That, he believes, is mostly relevant in Paige Bucekers’ case.

Both players entered collegiate basketball as standout guards in the same recruiting class, marked by high expectations and elite talent. They faced each other during marquee matchups like the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four, sparking a sense of rivalry. But as they ended up sharing honors and even getting drafted in consecutive years, the comparisons just made sense—not just for fans but even for the W’s GMs.

When asked about PB’s rookie season outlook before the beginning of the season, a few started drawing parallels to CC’s historic year in the pros. “It’s just really hard to impact the game as a rookie…. What Caitlin did last year is so special and unique. Paige is a special player… I think she’ll be a good player this year, but I’m not expecting a Caitlin-like impact. And that’s an unfair bar to set,” one GM told ESPN earlier this year. When experts say this, fans just follow. But can we deny the impact CC had in her rookie year?

She added the boost the W needed for years. From TV ratings to attendance to popularity, the league witnessed unprecedented growth due to the “Caitlin Clark effect.” And Lundberg believes, players like Paige Bueckers are benefiting from it.

“Everybody else like Paige is getting more shine because of Caitlin. I mean, Paige is more popular in the WNBA than she would have been pre-Caitlin. And all the other players that were named are more popular now than they would have been pre-Caitlin. But when you set aside fandom, rooting interest, any of that stuff, you put it all to the side, it doesn’t matter. Just like, look at it objectively. The gap is massive,” he added.

And yes, the gap’s massive. A recent example of CC’s fan power is Sophie Cunningham. The Fever’s standout point guard flagrantly fouled Jacy Sheldon during a game against the Sun by grabbing her by the neck as she went sprinting for a shot. Later she admitted it was redemption for the eye poke Sheldon gave CC. The moment went viral. And as a result, Cunningham gained millions of followers on social media, a deal with Arby’s, Adidas, and a home security brand, Ring.

For a player sidelined due to injury and limited to just 13 games, lining up fans before every game is huge. Even PB admitted it before: “When people tune in to watch her, they leave the game fans of so many more. I think the game is growing a lot… It’s impressive.”

Maybe Paige is riding on the Caitlin Clark effect, but she is capitalizing on it with her own skills. She proved as much with her 44-point performance, becoming the fastest player to record 500 points and 100 assists, and cementing herself the top spot in the ROTY race. And Lundberg hopes more players build on that for the league to sustain without always relying on Clark.

“The league will be healthier when it’s less reliant of Caitlin Clark,” he adds.

Well, the league managed to set an all-time single-season attendance record by drawing over 2.43 million fans during the current season. So with CC as the catalyst, the league’s growing—and Paige’s part of it too. But despite being part of the same recruiting class, how did Caitlin’s fandom get the boost?

Caitlin Clark’s rise beyond PB in the spotlight at NCAA. Yes or no?

Caitlin was the No. 4 recruit in her class, preceded by PB, Angel Reese, and even Cameron Brink. The young guard had even looked forward adorning the UConn jersey, but never received the call. So she comitted to Iowa, instead, closer to home.

Then started the actual race. While CC was getting buckets, PB was hogging awards and attention. They even met at the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament in 2021, wherein Iowa lost by 20 points. But while CC was smashing records and leading the league with an average of 27.8 back in 2023–2024, PB was sidelined due to injury.

And that’s how CC, with the major spotlight on her battle with Reese during the 2023 NCAA tournament, became a national sensation. But all this while she earned her fans with the help of her tremendous performances. While we preferred CC and PB going head-to-head for the No. 1 spot in 2024, it never came. A year later, though, they continue to remain instrumental in maintaining the league’s surge.