WNBA analyst believes Caitlin Clark hasn't faced 'more adversity' than Paige Bueckers citing one major factor

ESPN WNBA analyst Elle Duncan weighed in on the impact Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers have had on women's basketball and believes the UConn star could have easily been the biggest star in the game right now if not for the injuries she had to deal with.

She made this known in a conversation with Gary Striewski on The Elle Duncan Show on Tuesday, highlighting that while both hoopers are bonafide stars, Clark has had the easier path than Bueckers, making her appreciate what the latter has done so far.

Duncan said:

"There has been more adversity for Paige than Caitlin in terms of staying on the court. I mean Paige has been hampered by devastating injuries. I firmly believe the biggest star in the planet would be Paige Buecker's if she had stayed healthy throughout her college run instead of stopping and starting."

Check out what she had to say below, beginning at 4:42:

Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers both entered college at the same time in 2020 and have elevated women's college basketball to unprecedented popularity. The former Iowa Hawkeye was widely considered as the best women's collegiate basketball player before moving on to the WNBA earlier this year.

She finished her Iowa career as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division 1 history, both men and women, with 3,951 points, eclipsing the previous longtime record of 3,667 held by basketball legend 'Pistol' Pete Maravich.

With Clark now in the pros, Bueckers, who had to deal with various injuries along the way, including an ACL tear that left her missing the entire 2022-23 season, is now claimed by many as the best collegiate player at the moment and poised for even greater heights moving forward.

Paige Bueckers impressed with what Caitlin Clark has done in her basketball career

While they are often compared to one another for what they are capable of doing on the court, Paige Bueckers remains impressed with what Caitlin Clark has done back in college and now in the WNBA.

She cited, in particular, the way her former collegiate rival has handled the immense fame she has garnered while doing her thing on the court, sharing (via Athlon Sports):

"Caitlin brought so much new attention to the rise of women's college basketball and the WNBA, and women's sports in general. I feel like the weight of the world is on her shoulders, and she just has this heavy burden to carry, and she does it with grace and humility."

Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers have their basketball journeys linked together. In 2021, the two shared the National Freshman of the Year Award, but Bueckers won the Naismith Trophy as the best player in women's college basketball. Then in 2024, their respective teams battled it out in the Final Four, with Clark's Iowa defeating Bueckers' UConn 71-69.