With the arrival of Caitlin Clark to the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese to the Chicago Sky, the WNBA has not only met but exceeded high expectations this season. From record-breaking ratings and merchandise sales to consistent sold-out arenas, the league’s popularity is skyrocketing. This year’s WNBA Draft, the most watched in history with 2.4 million viewers, set the tone for a historic season. The All-Star game followed suit, drawing 3.44 million viewers-a 305% increase over last year’s game. Clark and Reese’s jerseys have also become the top sellers this season, highlighting their impact.
Veterans and Rookies
The league has seen stars like Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson, and Breanna Stewart dominate, but the attention garnered by rookies this year is unprecedented. When asked about the WNBA’s rise in popularity, Sue Bird reflected on how times have changed since she entered the league in 2002, noting that the environment back then was more restrictive for women. “Sometimes it’s just timing, I know when I was coming out of college into the pro life, it was a little bit of ‘shut up and dribble,’ it was a little bit for women”
Bird, a four-time WNBA champion and five-time Olympic Gold Medalist, emphasized that the league’s growth is a natural evolution but didn’t give much credit to the new rookies. Despite her impressive résumé, Bird hasn’t acknowledged the contributions of Clark, who she believes will be Rookie of the Year, or Reese. Instead of downplaying their achievements, Bird should encourage these rising stars to continue elevating the game, ensuring that the WNBA continues to attract more fans every year.
As the season progresses, Clark and the Fever (11-15) hold a slight edge in the standings over Reese and the Sky (10-14). In their three head-to-head matchups, Clark leads with two wins. Both players have already shattered records, with Reese setting a WNBA record with 15 consecutive double-doubles and Clark recording the most assists (19) in a single game, as well as becoming the first rookie with a triple-double in WNBA history.
Clark is currently third in the league in minutes played (35.2), averaging 17.1 points and leading the league with 8.2 assists per game for Indiana, while Reese is posting 13.5 points and is second in the league with 11.9 rebounds per game with Chicago. With about 15 games left in the season, both players have a strong chance of leading their teams to the playoffs, continuing what has been a historic season.
