Paige Bueckers is firmly establishing herself as a WNBA star.The No.1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft put up another outstanding performance on Wednesday evening, despite her struggling Dallas Wings coming up short against the Atlanta Dream, 88-85.Paige Bueckers enjoyed a strong performance against the Atlanta DreamGETTYThe Dream, who sit 11th in the WNBA standings, just above the dismal Chicago Sky and poor Connecticut Sun, nearly stole the win after taking the lead in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter.The two sides traded a few baskets but the Dream went ahead when Te-Hina Paopao gave her team a two point lead with 30 seconds left.And while the Wings tied it up shortly after, the Dream’s Naz Hillmon scored a clutch three pointer with two seconds left to steal the victory.While the Wings were condemned to another loss, Bueckers’ 21 points and seven assists made it a record-breaking night.The 23-year-old became the fastest player since 1997 to record 400+ points and 100+ assists.Bueckers is well on her way to winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year award and is averaging 18.2 points, 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.While Bueckers’ performances haven’t translated to Wings wins, her phenomenal rookie season is reminiscent of the remarkable season Caitlin Clark enjoyed last year.Clark’s record-breaking performances and controversial moments lit the WNBA up last year as she stormed to the 2024 Rookie of the Year award ahead of rival Angel Reese.The 23-year-old has become a global star, and despite not winning a championship yet or being a pro for very long, many view her as the face of the WNBA.That’s certainly the opinion of Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham, who has catapulted into stardom in recent weeks as Clark’s enforcer, who went on an X-rated podcast rant about CC’s greatness.Cunningham made the case for Clark being the face of the league on her podcastGETTYSophie Cunningham has defended Caitlin Clark both on the court and off itGETTY“It literally p***** me off when people are like, ‘She’s not the face of the league.’ What?” Cunningham said on her new podcastWhile Clark hasn’t the hit same heights in 2025 as last year amid a season full of injury and inconsistent shooting, Cunningham questioned where the league would be without her.“There’s really good, well-known people in our league. I’m not discrediting them,” Cunningham added.“We have a lot of badasses in our league. Hell yeah to that. I’m all for that. But when people try to argue that she’s not the face of our league or our league would be where we’re at without her, you’re dumb as s***. You’re literally dumb as f***.”Why is Caitlin Clark the face of the WNBA?The numbers don’t lie when it comes to Clark’s impact on the WNBA.Earlier this season, the Fever and Sky broke a 25-year viewership record when 2.7 million fans watched Clark square off against college rival Reese which included a flagrant foul on the Chicago forward.Bueckers (left), Clark (center), and Cunningham (right) are helping to grow women’s basketball around the worldGetty While in 2024, Clark had a unprecedented impact on the WNBA’s viewership, merchandise sale and overall interest in the league.31 WNBA matches last season averaged over one million viewers and 22 of them involved Clark, with almost every fixture she played in broadcast on national television.The Fever also saw their home attendance rise by 320 percent to a league-leading average of 17,000 per game in 2024.For teammate Cunningham, Clark’s treatment by the league’s veterans is proof of her superstar status.“You have seen players in our league try and toughen up Caitlin,” Cunningham said. “Even when I wasn’t on her team, I know the talks that Phoenix had in the locker room. ‘We’re going to show her what the W really is.“What are people doing? It’s just too much.”Amid Clark’s absence, the Fever sit sixth in the WNBA standings and are currently on track for a postseason appearance.