The WNBA is poised to continue capitalizing on the rising star power of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and their historic rookie class, as league executives and players gear up for a new era of visibility and growth.
After the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball championship, which drew almost 10 million viewers to watch Reese’s LSU defeat Clark’s Iowa, the WNBA recognized it had tapped into a cultural shift. The game drew comparisons to the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird rivalry that boosted the NBA in the 1980s, setting the stage for a new chapter in women’s basketball.
“It was quality of play, rivalries, debates,” said WNBA Chief Marketing Officer Phil Cook, as reported by Emma Baccellieri of Sports Illustrated. “That’s what makes every sport.”
The WNBA’s effort to capture that momentum didn’t start overnight. For years, the league had stars and fierce competition, but mainstream audiences never viewed it through that lens. Players like Clark and Reese, who catapulted their college stardom into household names, provided the WNBA with the opportunity it’s been waiting for — bridging the gap between college and professional basketball.
Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry drives WNBA viewerships to new heights
For the first time, the WNBA launched a television ad campaign during the NCAA tournament, focusing on bringing in viewers who had tuned in to watch college games. The larger staff, bolstered by a 2022 $75 million capital raise, helped the league roll out bolder marketing efforts than ever before. Players like Nneka Ogwumike, president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), noted the importance of this moment at the WNBA All-Star Game in July.
“This is something we’ve always wanted … It’s really something we have to capitalize on,” she said.
The Clark-Reese rivalry alone helped drive viewership to new heights. In fact, Clark’s record-breaking NCAA season, where she became the all-time Division I scorer, and Reese’s branding and presence have both drawn millions of new eyes to the sport. The WNBA leveraged their popularity by offering draft tickets to fans for the first time, selling out in minutes. The 2024 WNBA Draft, featuring both players, drew 2.45 million viewers — the most for any WNBA broadcast on ESPN.
League officials are hopeful the upcoming media rights deal, set to bring in significantly more revenue starting in 2026, will help fund the continued growth of the league, with expansion teams already in the works.
“We’re driving culture in a lot of different ways,” Ogwumike said, noting the rising popularity of the WNBA, “But most importantly — we can hoop.”
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