Caitlin Clark is clearly the face of the WNBA in 2025, but Paige Bueckers is not too far behind her. With the Indiana Fever taking on the Dallas Wings on Sunday afternoon, the two get their first chance to face off against each other as professionals.

While neither the Fever nor Wings has a winning record heading into their matchup, the game is still taking center stage. The WNBA is putting its full promotional effort into what could be the most-viewed regular-season game of the year.

While they will face each other for the first time as professionals, Clark and Bueckers have played each other in college. The two notably faced off in the 2024 Final Four, when Clark led Iowa to a 71-69 win over Bueckers' UConn Huskies. Clark dropped 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in that game, with Bueckers tallying 17 points, four rebounds and three assists.

As two of the greatest college basketball players in recent history, Clark was the No. 1 pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft, one year before Bueckers followed suit and went No. 1 overall in 2025. They enrolled in college at the same time, but Bueckers' career got delayed by a year due to a torn ACL.

Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers can be next great WNBA rivalry

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) during the game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

In a league as tight as the WNBA, one that features just 13 teams, rivalries tend to build the sport. From Brittney Griner and Sylvia Fowles to Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, the WNBA has been full of player rivalries.

For most of her rookie year, many believed that Clark's biggest enemy would be Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky. Those matchups always carry extra weight, but Clark and Bueckers have an even longer history. As two of the most dynamic point guards in the current era, Clark and Bueckers have been pitted against each other for their entire careers.

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