Caitlin Clark Gets Honest on Paige Bueckers Before Fever Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Indiana Fever stayed home for a crucial matchup with the Dallas Wings at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday.
Sitting 10-10 on the 2025 WNBA season, coming off Friday’s big win over the Atlanta Dream on Friday, the Fever will be looking to get back above .500.
On the other side, you have the Wings, who are currently 6-15 on the year and have already lost to Indiana once this season, falling 95-86 at home on June 27.
However, Sunday’s matchup will be the first time that Caitlin Clark of the Fever and Paige Bueckers of the Wings will face off in the WNBA.
Ahead of the highly anticipated contest, a reporter asked Clark about her relationship with Bueckers, both No. 1 overall draft picks who dominated in college.
“Yeah, I mean, we’ve always been friends. I wouldn’t say we’re best friends and talk all the time. It’s hard when you end up going your separate ways and are at different colleges,” Clark said.
“I’ve always been a fan of hers and always been supportive … I admire the confidence she has in herself … as a competitor, that’s what you really love … her leadership … you could feel that, especially at UConn and now in the W, she’s certainly a leader of the Wings.”
Caitlin on her friendship with Paige
“We’ve always been friends. I wouldn’t say we’re best friends and talk all the time. It’s hard when you end up going your separate ways and are at different colleges…I’ve always been a fan of hers and always been supportive.” pic.twitter.com/EqsJ6GqZNs
— correlation (@nosyone4) July 13, 2025
Clark left Iowa as the NCAA Division I’s all‑time leading scorer, finishing with 3,951 career points and 548 three‑pointers, a feat no other Division I player (men’s or women’s) has matched.
She also became the first Division I athlete to record over 3,600 points, 1,000 assists and 850 rebounds in a career.
Bueckers, meanwhile, was a three-time Big East Player of the Year, three-time All-American and the first college freshman to win the AP Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year and John R. Wooden Award, claiming all three.
Last year, she led UConn to its 12th NCAA title, earning Final Four All-Tournament honors, the Wade Trophy, Honda Sports Award and the Nancy Lieberman Award.
Despite diverging paths, Clark to Iowa, Bueckers to UConn, they both left lasting legacies at their respective programs and are now two of the biggest faces in the WNBA.
Related: New DeWanna Bonner Update Emerges After Release From Indiana Fever
Related: Lexie Hull Shares Honest Take on Playing Without Caitlin Clark
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
