“Paige Buckets.” That’s what fans are calling her now, and honestly, it fits. Against the LA Sparks, she delivered a historic performance: 44 points on a ridiculous 81% shooting, the first of its kind in WNBA history. It should have been her night, another defining Paige in Bueckers’ young WNBA career. But, as always happens on the internet, the spotlight didn’t stay put. Instead of simply celebrating the Wings’ star’s brilliance, the conversation quickly spiraled into Paige vs. Caitlin Clark.

When Paige entered college, she was the number 1 prospect in the country from the 2020 class according to ESPN. That 2020 class had players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, and Cameron Brink. While most of them turned pro by 2024, Bueckers stayed in college for an extra year, as injury had hampered her progress. Clark had quite literally eclipsed her as a player.

But the basketball faithful remembered what the storylines were during those college years. Former football player Ryan Clark recently gave his own take on this topic following Paige’s historic night. “She really is the one… Paige Bueckers has been the #1 from that class. Angel & Caitlin capitalized on their time, but Bueckers can become the face of it all!” he said on X.

Naturally, this take didn’t sit well with Caitlin Clark fans. They retaliated, even though Ryan probably had no intention of starting a debate. Social media flooded with comments, with many convinced the former Pittsburgh Steelers star just doesn’t like Clark.

Fans react to Ryan Clark’s comments against Caitlin Clark

“Man going out of his way to disrespect CC now.” That’s been the popular sentiment among fans. It all traces back to when Ryan Clark went off on his former teammate, Robert Griffin III. RG3 had claimed that Angel Reese “hated” Clark—citing everything from the 2023 championship game to her celebrating Chennedy Carter’s hard foul on CC last year. But Ryan wasn’t buying that narrative. He said it wasn’t true, and in saying so, made himself public enemy No. 1 after bringing “race” into the discussion. Many fans took that as Ryan hating Clark because of her skin color. Another fan even asked bluntly, “Honest question. Why do you hate CC so much?”

But the truth is that Ryan Clark doesn’t really hate Caitlin. In fact, he has gone on record praising CC multiple times. “Caitlin Clark, for all it’s worth, is absolutely freaking phenomenal,” the Super Bowl (XLIII) champion said. “The excitement she brings to the game, the skill level she brings to the game, the way that she plays it honestly, the way that she also pays tribute to those who came before her. It’s actually, in my opinion, should be impossible to hate her.” And for what it’s worth, he has also gone on record saying how he believes we should enjoy both Reese and Clark and not hate on each other.

And then there were fans who just couldn’t wrap their heads around his take on PB becoming the next face of the league. “Clark was better as a rookie and it’s not even close lol,” one fan was quick to remind him. Clark had a phenomenal rookie year where she not only broke the record for most points scored in a season by a rookie, but she also broke the league’s all-time single-season assist record with 337. But Paige has been having a great season, too. Not only is she currently averaging more or less the same points on a better field goal percentage than CC did last season, but she also recently became the fastest WNBA rookie to reach 500 points and 100 assists, surpassing Caitlin Clark. But would it be fair to call Bueckers better based on this?

One fan was quick to remind everyone that Caitlin is the more complete player, saying, “Plays the GAME better and it’s not close.” And honestly, that might be true. Clark doesn’t just score. Her assist and rebounding numbers are clearly higher than Bueckers’. While Paige is a smooth guard who thrives in the mid-range, Caitlin’s game is more versatile, and she is a better 3-point shooter. That’s not even all – her big nights have actually translated to wins. Though, to be fair, she might also have the stronger supporting cast. Still, here’s an interesting stat: the Fever are 4-1 when Clark scores 30+, while Bueckers is still chasing her first win after hitting that mark.

And lastly, how can we forget that only one of them has made the playoffs so far…. and it’s not Paige. One fan didn’t hesitate to point that out, saying, “Only one player mentioned made the playoffs their rookie season.” Despite dropping 44 points, Paige was on the losing side again as Kelsey Plum’s buzzer-beater handed them their 27th loss of the season and officially knocked them out of playoff contention. That now means among Reese, Bueckers, and Clark, only Caitlin has seen playoff action in Year 1. And that in itself was special, as the Fever hadn’t made the playoffs since 2016.

So, while the debate rages on about who’s the better player, we’ve got a question for you! Who’s your pick? Or are you just here to appreciate greatness on both sides?