Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark have become two of the most prominent figures pushing women’s basketball into the spotlight, not just through elite play, but also by using their voices to tackle tough conversations.
Recently, both stars opened up about racial disparities in media coverage and marketing opportunities in the sport. In an interview with Time Magazine, Paige Bueckers acknowledged the privilege that comes with being a white athlete in today’s landscape.
“There’s white privilege every single day that I see,” Bueckers said. “I feel like I’ve worked extremely hard, blessed by God. But I do think there’s more opportunities for me. Even just marketability—people tend to favor white people, white males, white women. I think it should be equal opportunity. I feel like there is privilege to what I have, and to what all white people have. I recognize that. I want to counteract that with the way I go about my business.”
This isn’t new territory for Paige Bueckers. In 2021, as a freshman at UConn, she used her ESPYs acceptance speech to call out the lack of media coverage for Black women in sports.
Her sentiments echo those of Clark, who also spoke with Time during her rookie season with the Indiana Fever.
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” Clark said. “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them.”
Caitlin Clark added, “The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that—and continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible—the more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Together, Bueckers and Clark are leveraging their influence to push for equity in the WNBA—making sure that the conversation around women’s basketball is just as inclusive as the talent pool itself.
Paige Bueckers adds to her legacy with another award
Before even suiting up for her WNBA debut, Paige Bueckers is already collecting more accolades. The former UConn star was named the 2024 recipient of the Honda Sports Award for Basketball, given annually to the top female NCAA player.
She now joins a decorated list that includes UConn legend Breanna Stewart, who won the award in 2016 after leading the Huskies to four straight national titles.
Bueckers and the Dallas Wings will kick off their WNBA season on May 17 against the Minnesota Lynx, where the No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft is expected to make a headline-grabbing debut.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
