Caitlin Clark is the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The Indiana Fever and its fanbase could not be more thrilled to have the greatest scorer in college basketball history on their team.
Both from a talent standpoint and a brand standpoint!
In terms of her on-court play, Clark going to make a nasty one-two punch alongside Aliyah Boston. She and the reigning Rookie of the Year compliment each other really well. Indiana is going to win a lot of games after a really frustrating stretch of losing seasons that began in 2017.
And then there is her name.
Clark is arguably the biggest star in the women’s basketball history before she even steps foot onto a professional court. Fans consistently sold out arenas to see her play at Iowa and the Hawkeyes broke all kinds of television records with their NCAA Tournament run.
Her impact across the entire globe cannot be overstated and it is going to translate to the WNBA.
Viewership numbers could see a slight decline and overall interest might see a small dip now that she is not in college. That is possible. However, it would be ludicrous to say that Clark is not going to have an enormous impact on the growth of the league.
One WNBA general manager, who spoke anonymously with The Athletic, put it in perspective. Clark is a once-in-a-lifetime player who brings with her a once-in-a-lifetime draw.
I would trade my whole team for her. Partly because our owner would do it to sell tickets. But on top of that, that’s such a great piece to start to build around. She’s (like Diana) Taurasi coming out, and look what Taurasi’s done.
— Anonymous WNBA GM
It is interesting that the GM mentioned Diana Taurasi.
There is something of a beef between the three-time WNBA champion and Clark. The former recently issued a very blunt warning to the latter about her status on the next level.
Taurasi said that “reality is coming” for Clark.
Not 10 days later, the newest member of the Fever made a hilarious appearance on SNL and took the time to thank a lot of the women’s basketball legends that came before her. Clark mentioned Sherly Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, and Maya Moore. Not Taurasi!
It might have been part of the joke, considering the ongoing narrative about them. It might have been an intentional slight. Either way, the timing is rather coincidental… unless it’s not a coincidence!
Caitlin Clark’s impact on the WNBA will be similar to that of Diana Taurasi. And probably even greater.