Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark entered the WNBA spotlight with sky-high expectations, and each answered with a rookie campaign that demanded attention. Their styles could not be more different, but the result was the same: a Rookie of the Year title. Both averaged 19.2 points in their rookie seasons and won the title with landslide votes. Unfortunately, the similarities between their rookie runs end there.

While CC made the postseason with her team in 2024, PB5’s team barely managed to win nine games. Like we said, though, the result was the same. But the way both got the reward was starkly different. And in the middle of it is the WNBA commissioner, Cathy Engelbert. Bueckers recently attended The Jennifer Hudson Show, but had no idea her big moment was coming right there.

Strolling through the spirit tunnel on, the Wings rookie laughed and danced as staff members cheered her on. But at the end of the tunnel stood someone she didn’t expect: the WNBA commissioner. Right there on the set, Engelbert handed Bueckers the WNBA Rookie of the Year trophy, turning what seemed like a lighthearted entrance into a career-defining surprise. That was how Paige Bueckers officially learnt she league’s top rookie. As for last year? The celebrations were not so grand.

Caitlin Clark got a phone call from Cathy Engelbert last year for her achievement. Yes, you heard it right. In October 2024, Caitlin Clark got a call from WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “I know the best has yet to come, so then congratulations, Caitlin, you are the 2024 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year.” With these words, Engelbert declared Clark the 2024 ROTY. This, however, was a stark difference from the treatment Bueckers got this year.

This year, it was a moment many fans were waiting for and expecting. Paige Bueckers is lifting the ROTY trophy. It was a no-brainer, which reflects in the 70-2 votes she got against Washington Mystics’ three-point sniper Sonia Citron. So the WNBA commissioner had a lot of time to prep for a spectacle for the Wings’ rookie. But the same could be said about last year. Caitlin Clark got 69-1 votes last year over Angel Reese. But her only getting a phone call was a rather fizzling moment.

Don’t think that Bueckers being hyped up more for ROTY win is a bad thing. But the context matters. Indiana Fever star guard Sophie Cunningham earlier accused the WNBA of favoring Bueckers during games. In her podcast, Cunningham said talking about the August 14 Fever-wings game, “I love Paige to death, do not get me wrong. I think she’s a hell of a player and would love to play with her one day, but those refs were giving her every freaking whistle last night. Like you literally couldn’t touch her, couldn’t touch her. And that s— is so annoying to me. And you’re going to do that, then give it to our guards.”

Back in May 2025, the whispers of favoritism toward Paige Bueckers began to gain traction. Appearing on The Bill Simmons Podcast, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert labeled Caitlin Clark “the most popular athlete in America.” Yet, in the same breath, she stressed the importance of balancing Clark’s visibility with that of the league’s other stars. The ROTY announcement contrast didn’t go unnoticed either. For fans already skeptical of Engelbert’s stance, it added weight to the narrative that the league was tilting attention away from Clark’s favor. While everyone is free to have their own opinions on players, one thing is certain. Both CC and PB are generational talents, which, if utilized properly, can take the WNBA to new heights.

Is the Paige Bueckers vs Caitlin Clark narrative damaging the WNBA itself?

Truth be told, the Wings’ rookie earned it fair and square. Paige Bueckers became the fastest rookie in WNBA history to reach 500 points and 100 assists, the only player this season to rank in the top 10 in points, assists, and steals per game, and the first rookie ever to average at least 15 points and 5 assists while shooting 45 percent from the field. Add in her record-setting 44-point game on 81 percent shooting, and her Rookie of the Year case was undeniable.

Still, many of those milestones stand out because Caitlin Clark had raised the bar a season earlier. Bueckers had 10 games with at least 20 points and 5 assists, but Clark had 18 such games as a rookie in 2024. Bueckers also became the first rookie to win the award while her team finished with fewer than 10 wins. On the other hand, Clark took her team to their first playoff appearance in almost a decade.

Both excel in what they do: one as a facilitator and the other as the high-offense spear. The conversation shouldn’t always be about who tops whom. And the players themselves realize this. As Paige Bueckers put it, “I think, running my own race, not running a race in comparison. Because in all honesty, I don’t think me and Caitlin play at all alike.”

Caitlin Clark echoed that spirit, saying of Bueckers, “I’ve always been a fan of hers… I love people who compete and make their team better. That’s what she does, and that’s what she’s always been able to do.” Like the way these two players want, rather than fueling rivalry, their coexistence could be the key to bringing in the next wave of WNBA fans. It is proof that the league is better off with both of them thriving side by side.