In 2024, Clark overcame those challenges to become an All-Star starter and Rookie of the Year award winner. One year later, Bueckers can check the All-Star starter box, and she's building a case to earn Rookie of the Year honors in a talented class of first-year players.

Both cards are expected to eclipse the March sale of a different one-of-a-kind Clark card, her 2024 Panini Prizm WNBA Signatures Gold Vinyl autograph rookie card, which went for $366,000 through Goldin Auctions. That sale set a record for the most expensive women’s sports card ever.

Like Paige Bueckers said regarding Caitlin Clark comparisons, “Those comparisons are just media-driven, narrative-driven.” And now, we have another “media-driven” narrative in the form of ESPN’s Pre-All-Star rankings of the best players in the league.