Los Angeles: After a stellar college career in which she broke records on and off the basketball court, Kaitlyn Clark’s legacy as an icon for women’s sports is secure.
As a 22-year-old preparing to be selected and No.
WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert said Monday that Clark and the next generation of women’s basketball players will be the economic engine that will ensure the league’s financial health for the next 30 years.
Engelbert told CNBC that the WNBA
hopes to double its existing media deals from $50 million to $100 million a year by 2025.
The payoffs for women’s sports rights have been underappreciated for a very long time. So this is a big opportunity for us at a time when the media landscape has changed so much.”
Engelbert said Clarke’s arrival in the WNBA along with other college stars like Louisiana State University’s Angel Reis and South Carolina’s Camilla Cardoso could have the same impact as the 1980 feud between Jadie Johnson and Larry Bird that helped create the modern NBA.
“I think we’re creating the next league and media rights deal for the next 30 years, not the next three to five years,” Engelbert said.
“If you look at the history of men’s sports, do we have a ‘Bird Magic’ opportunity like the NBA?”
Clarke’s 258,000 followers on X are more than 100,000 more than former Twitter and current WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart.
Reese, aka “Bayou Barbie,” will bring X to the WNBA after 415,000.
Clark’s impact on college basketball has been documented in recent seasons. This season, Clark and the University of Iowa Hawkeyes set or broke attendance records in both of their games, according to the NCAA.
