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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Kristen Wong

Paige Bueckers Addresses WNBA Rivalry With Caitlin Clark: ‘We’re Cool, We’re Friends’

With the WNBA season still several months away, some in the league have spent the offseason playing basketball, enjoying quality time with family and friends and mostly avoiding the limelight. But once the new season kicks off in May—assuming a new collective bargaining agreement is finalized by then—two players will inevitably dominate headlines again: star guards Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers.

The two are set to face off in their WNBA season-opener on May 9 in a highly-anticipated Fever-Wings matchup pitting the 2024 and ‘25 No. 1 picks against each other. For much of the 2026 season, Clark and Bueckers will stay rivals, but for one week in September, they could be teammates as they aim to represent Team USA in the upcoming FIBA World Cup.

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