Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever ace, has been faced with a surge of misinformation and unwarranted criticism and now Paige Bueckers is being used to attack the 23-year-old guard.
The Iowa alumni, voted 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year in a testament to her talents, but she has also faced a long string of detractors who criticize her for her skills when she takes to the court.
And a recent incident highlighted the extent of this animosity when the Dallas Wings triumphed over the Toyota Antelopes, as Clark‘s haters used Bueckers‘ performance as a way to slam her.
The 2025 rookie, picked overall first by the Wings, became victim to a fictional statline reading 45 points, 16 assists, and 15 rebounds. Naturally, the post did the rounds on social media before it was turned against the Fever’s talented star.
It highlighted the agenda against Clark and what she’s up against, and this was swiftly laid bare for all to see by the YouTuber Micky Talks Hoops, who exposed the fabrication, pointing out the implausibility of such a performance.
Not sparing any mercy, he also called out the gullibility of those who propagated the false information before doing any basic research in the era of the internet. Bueckers‘ true stats could be found with a simple search.
“Eight points off the all-time WNBA record,” Micky Talks Hoops said. “Three assists off the assist record… on 20 shots?
“Like, how dumb do you have to be to fall for this? But they did. Community noted. 50,000 likes.”
Bueckers’ true stats from Wings vs Antelopes
Bueckers‘ real performance in the game was still impressive as she put up 15 points and five rebounds, showing she is already adjusting to the professional scene.
Yet they’re not close to the fabricated figures, highlighting the misinformation and hostility against the young woman and just to the extent that her success has clearly unsettled some corners of the sport.
And fans agreed as they flooded online to react to the post and in defense of Clark too, calling out the narrative she has to contend with despite only being in her second season.
“These WNBA fans are the most jealous, stupidest fans ever,” one fan commented via X.com, formerly Twitter. “Something like this has never been done in the NBA.
“Goes to show how good Caitlin is, because she lives in their heads. It really is idiotic.”
It’s not just fans online too. The likes of Sheryl Swoopes, an ex-professional player who was working in broadcast journalism, even had to issue a retraction to Clark after attempting to downplay her achievements in the NCAA.
That was before she even turned pro, highlighting just what the Fever prodigy is up against.
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