"Used to think she's better" - Former NBA champ retracts bold Caitlin Clark-Paige Bueckers comparison citing one aspect

Former NBA champion Jeff Teague has retracted his opinion on Paige Bueckers' comparison to Caitlin Clark. Teague was among the people who believed Bueckers was better than Clark. However, Bueckers' injury issues saw her stock fall, changing Teague's stance on the Clark vs. Bueckers debate.

The former Bucks and Celtics guard made the comments a week after Bueckers' UConn lost to JuJu Watkins' USC. Here's what Teague said on his show, "Club 520 Podcast," in an episode that premiered on Thursday:

"I think she [Paige] got hurt that kinda hurt her a little bit. ... I think that just set her back like, she was super cold before she got hurt. But now I think she good, but I don't think she JuJu [Watkins] and I don't think she Caitlin [Clark]. At one point, I used to think she [Paige] better than Caitlin." (2:05)

Teague proceeded to explain why he feels Clark is ahead of Bueckers, saying:

"I just think Caitlin do a lot more with less."

Teague was seemingly referring to the talent Clark and Bueckers have had around them over the years. He thinks Clark can lead a weaker roster better than Bueckers, who hasn't had as many achievements despite playing on a better team like the Huskies.

The Paige Buckers-Caitlin Clark comparisons picked up steam, with the UConn star potentially making it to the WNBA next year. She can play another year in college if she wishes to.

Like Jeff Teague, many thought Bueckers was the bigger star, and some even claimed she was "Caitlin before Caitlin" because of her popularity and talent. However, Clark's unparalleled consistency and individual success saw her eclipse the narratives around Bueckers being better.

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Caitlin Clark outshines Paige Bueckers with incredible feat

Caitlin Clark has had a penchant for breaking records on and off the court. The WNBA superstar made headlines a week ago after another incredible feat. Clark became the first woman to find a spot on the Professional Sports Authenticator's top-10 most-collected basketball players of the year.

With an astonishing 77,000 graded cards, Clark came in sixth behind NBA superstars Victor Wembanyama, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Anthony Edwards.

Paige Bueckers was the next closest women's sports athlete on the list, but nowhere close to Caitlin Clark. Bueckers had 5,400 cards graded.

Clark also ranked above NBA legends like Steph Curry and Shaquille O'Neal, who were eighth and 10th, respectively.