The WNBA has been known for struggling to stay alive since its conception, not by the fault of its own, but just a lack of interest among basketball fans. People usually point to the lack of dunking and “electric” plays, some even suggested lowering the rims. Recently however, the WNBA has been gaining a lot of traction due to the increase in popularity at the collegiate level. Players such as Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese and JuJu Watkins have dominated the competition in college. However, none of these players compare to the popularity Caitlin Clark gained during the 2023 women’s NCAA tournament.
Clark gained notoriety by putting her team on her back against Louisville in the tournament before losing to a stacked LSU team in the Championship. The next year she broke the all time college scoring record in both mens and womens basketball when leading her team to the championship yet again. She fell short again against the South Carolina Gamecocks who lost less than five games in three years. Despite her shortcomings, she was drafted first overall to the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA draft.
Clark started off the season rough for her standards, but was still leading the rookie of the year race. Once the all-star/Olympic break ended Clark went into a different gear. In 13 games since the break, she is averaging 24.3 points and 8.9 assists. She recently tied the all time record for most 25-10 games (25 points and 10 assists) in a career, in one season. On top of that she broke the rookie scoring record and the record for most assists by any player in one season. All of these incredible feats have moved her up to second in betting odds to win the Most Valuable Player award and while A’ja Wilson has the MVP wrapped up, second place is more than impressive for a rookie.
The expectations for Clark were almost impossible to live up to, but she exceeded them. Her rookie campaign has been spectacular so far and she still has more to show in the playoffs.
