Paige Bueckers just passed Caitlin Clark in one major category

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Paige Bueckers just passed Caitlin Clark in one major category originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The WNBA's newest superstar just added another milestone to an already remarkable rise. Paige Bueckers has spent her first year in the league proving she belongs among the game's biggest names. Now she's doing something few players in league history have managed: setting records before her rookie season is even complete.

According to ESPN, the jersey Bueckers wore during her WNBA debut sold for a staggering $64,720 through MeiGray, making it the most expensive WNBA jersey ever sold.

That number didn't just break the previous record. It shattered it.

Paige Bueckers' star power reaches another level​

The jersey came from Bueckers' professional debut with the Dallas Wings on May 16, 2025, a game that marked one of the most anticipated WNBA debuts in recent memory. MeiGray authenticated and photo-matched the jersey immediately after the game before putting it up for auction. The final price reached $64,720, nearly doubling the previous WNBA record.

That previous mark belonged to reigning superstar A'ja Wilson, whose jersey from Games 1 and 2 of the 2025 WNBA Finals sold for $32,150. The gap between first and second place speaks volumes about the demand surrounding Bueckers memorabilia.

As MeiGray president Barry Meisel explained, the women's sports collectibles market is no longer a niche corner of the hobby world. The appetite is growing rapidly, and Bueckers has become one of its biggest attractions.

Another milestone in the Caitlin Clark era​

While the record belongs to Bueckers, the story says just as much about the current state of women's basketball. For years, WNBA memorabilia rarely generated headlines outside dedicated collector circles. Now game-worn jerseys are commanding prices that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago.

Much of that growth has coincided with the explosion of interest surrounding stars such as Caitlin Clark, Bueckers, A'ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu and Angel Reese. Clark helped introduce millions of new fans to women's basketball during her historic college career and subsequent rise with the Indiana Fever. Bueckers has followed a similar path, carrying enormous popularity from UConn into the professional ranks.

The result is a fan base that increasingly wants more than tickets and television broadcasts. They want pieces of history.

MORE: Sophie Cunningham's post-game Instagram update has Fever fans talking again

Bueckers keeps proving she's one of the faces of the league​

The timing of the sale is particularly noteworthy. Bueckers is still at the beginning of what many expect to be a Hall of Fame-caliber career. Yet collectors already view items connected to her earliest professional moments as premium pieces.

That level of demand is typically reserved for established legends. Instead, Bueckers is receiving it before she has even completed her first full chapter as a professional.

For the WNBA, that's another sign of how quickly the league's popularity is growing. For Bueckers, it's another reminder that every milestone she reaches seems to come with a record attached.

And if a debut jersey is already worth nearly $65,000, collectors can only imagine what some of the biggest moments of her career might be worth years from now.

More WNBA News​

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• WNBA expansion teams are proving they belong much faster than expected
• Indiana Fever’s high-powered offense is becoming one of the WNBA’s biggest early storylines
• Kelsey Plum injury leaves Sparks facing major early-season test
• Angel Reese keeps proving Atlanta Dream made the right bet

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