Tiger Woods did it for pro golf. Serena and Venus Williams did it for women’s tennis. Michael Jordan did it for the NBA.
The WNBA, still emerging entering its 28th season, hopes Caitlin Clark can achieve what those athletes did and turn the league into a cultural phenomenon.
“I remember times when people were making fun of this league. Not anymore,” said Boris Lelchitski, an agent who has represented WNBA stars like Candace Parker and Jonquel Jones. “This is a turning point.”
Clark, who is expected to be drafted by the Indiana Fever with the first pick in this month’s WNBA draft, shattered the NCAA scoring record, was named the AP Player of the Year, and her University of Iowa games set attendance and viewership records. Also well-equipped to lift the WNBA will be Angel Reese, the Louisiana State University star who beat Clark in last year’s NCAA championship. Reese has 2.8 million followers on Instagram, more than double Clark’s following.
“I see it as a Tiger Woods entering the PGA Tour moment,” WNBA marketing chief Phil Cook recently said.
