Bomani Jones claims Paige Bueckers' injuries played role in Caitlin Clark's "emergence" at Iowa

Sports journalist Bomani Jones has made a bold statement regarding Paige Bueckers’ purported effect on Caitlin Clark’s career.

On the latest episode of his show, “The Right Time with Bomani Jones,” he pointed out that Clark could not have enjoyed the type of rise she had if not for Bueckers’ injuries.

“The Caitlin Clark emergence happened in part because of the Paige Bueckers injuries,” he said. “There was the ACL tear and there was the ankle injury that happened before that.”

He went on to narrate why he feels Bueckers' rise feels more traditional.

“I don’t know how often it happens when you have somebody that comes into school as hyped as Paige Bueckers was or as famous as she was coming in, and she had a much more traditional climb to get to this national championship where you get to the end of it, and you’re like, 'yo!' You kind of went through it with her.

“For Bueckers, it was a grind to make that happen. It was a story... I thought it was great for the women’s game to have that reemergence of your traditional power, and the fact that they had to fight, and they had to claw in order to get that.”

Bueckers had to deal with a tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear during her sophomore season. When she came back, she suffered another injury, tearing her anterior cruciate ligament, leading to her missing the 2022-23 season.

Her first full season since freshman year came when she was a junior, and she led UConn to the Final Four. She was projected to be a top-three pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, but she decided to stay in college. That decision paid off, as she won the national title this year.

Jones believes that if Bueckers had not suffered these injuries, she would have outshone, or at least taken some of the shine off, Caitlin Clark.

Paige Bueckers celebrates national title with Instagram post

The UConn guard has been in a celebratory mood since winning the national championship. On Tuesday, she posted a picture of herself following the victory on Instagram.

"God did! We did! ... National Champs," Bueckers wrote in the caption.

Bueckers is expected to be selected by the Dallas Wings with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft.