Two generational talents. One goal. While one player is a formidable force in the league, the other has already showcased her prominence this season. And as a result, fans can not help but draw comparisons between Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. After all, the two are arguably the “Michael Jordan and LeBron James” of women’s basketball. While the two carry their own, different individualities in the league, their influence is vociferous and commanding. Both on and off the court.

While Clark is predominantly a shooting guard, known for her court vision and scoring prowess, Bueckers is a more versatile force on the hardwood. She can double up as a scorer, rebounder, and play off-the-ball, assisting her teammates. Basically switching positions and roles as per the team’s demands. Though this major difference is enough to set the two athletes apart, fans still can’t help but compare the guards. And now they have more reason to do so!

A popular drink brand, Gatorade took to social media and shared a post featuring Clark and Reese. They shared the reel on Instagram with a caption that read, “Lose Sweat. Make W’s. #IsItInYou.” While both players have been associated with the brand, fans could not help but compare a major disrespect towards the 2025 Rookie of the Month.

Despite being tagged alongside other athletes that feature in the advertisement, Bueckers is not a collaborator on the post. This comes as a shock and concern from fans and analysts alike. On the other hand, Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson are collaborators as well as tagged in the post.

This imposes and hints at a major question: While Bueckers is famous enough to feature along side some of the greatest players in the W, is her professional experience stopping the athlete from being an equal collaborator. To shed some light into the technical aspect, while a brand or creator can tag an entity without their prior permission, collaboration isn’t that easy.

For two or more accounts to collaborate on a social media post, on Instagram in this case, the creator might send a collab request to the second account in question. And if accepted, the posted reel is shared via both accounts. Though originally posted by Gatorade, the reel features on Clark’s and Wilson’s accounts simultaneously.

This features allows two or more people to share the same content and caption, without making it look repetitive on your feed. Moreover, it is a smart tool for advertising the brand and increase its reach. Though Bueckers shared the reel as a story on her profile, there can be multiple reasons for her to not collab.

For starters, she might not wish to mess with the current algorithm of the account. “It was always my dream to work with Gatorade, and the reality has been even better than I imagined because together we are elevating women and our stories,” Bueckers had said during her UConn days.

Like Clark, Bueckers had signed an endorsement deal with the drink. In fact, she was also dubbed as the 2020 Gatorade Girl’s Basketball BPOY by the brand. But while the possibilities of her non-involvement as a collaborator are endless, one glaring reality is making the fans flinch. And they have their reasons to.

Moreover, Clark and Bueckers feature together for the second time in the pros- firstly on-court at Indianapolis and then in this Ad. The two last featured during the 2024 Final Four. Despite that, they share a mutual sense of respect for each other. As was evident before their respective teams clashed for the second time this season.

Caitlin Clark praised Paige Bueckers’ rookie run ahead of the tipoff

July 13, 2025, marked a historic showdown between the Indiana Fever and the Dallas Wings. But more than that, it marked the first time that the fans watched Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers battle it out in the pros.

But before the two athletes stepped on the Gainbridge Fieldhouse arena, the Indiana Fever superstar had a special message surrounding the Dallas Wings’ rookie, Paige Bueckers. “I feel like she has played in the same manner that she has since when we were on the [Team USA] u-16 team together, u-19 team together,” Caitlin Clark said. “Whether it’s me watching her in AAU, she has always just been smooth.”

From competing on the same national squads to battling it out under different colleges, Clark and Bueckers have practically grown up competing side by side. And this statement from Clark symbolises a deeper understanding that the two former college athletes shared. While the two belonged to the same recruitment class, Bueckers’ ACL tear pushed her journey in the WNBA by a year.

“She takes what the game gives her, her middie is always as nice as it has been this year. She just plays way older than she is,” Clark confessed. “She’s confident, she’s smooth, she just does everything at a high level. She can score from all 3 levels. And that’s how she’s always played. That’s obviously translated really well. And everybody knew that it would.” 

She highlighted the rookie’s elite playmaking and how she is an asset to the Wings’ roster. Appreciative of Bueckers’ career run so far, Clark continues to support the star for her high basketball IQ, maturity, and versatility. Moreover, Clark continues to support the star for her high basketball IQ, maturity, and versatility to switch multiple positions in the paint.

As the two powerhouses of women’s basketball progress in their own unique journeys this season, can they do justice to their teams? While Indiana Fever is progressing steadily towards a title victory, can Bueckers pull the Wings out of their misery and propel the roster into the playoffs? Or is it too soon to tell? What do you think?