Noah Wilson, Staff Writer | 

The 2024 Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) draft was the most coveted draft in the league’s history. This explosion in popularity was in response to college phenom Caitlin Clark entering the league and getting selected No.1 overall by the Indiana Fever.

Clarke was looked at to bring a fresh outlook of dominance, popularity, and growth the league had never seen before.

From opening night tip-off, Clarke lived up to her demanding expectations, smashing numerous records and feats no other rookie or player has managed to accomplish. 

For starters, Clark finished her rookie season with 19.2 points per game being the fastest player to reach 100, 200 and 350 career points. 

By the season’s end, she broke the single-season record for most points by a guard with 769 points.

Clark certainly passes the eye test, as whether you watch her in a game or on a highlight reel, it’s easy to identify that she has a supernatural talent for scoring the basketball. 

What may be overlooked however is her playmaking ability. Clarke is a very intelligent basketball player making her an elite-level playmaker. 

She showcased this talent when racked up an impressive 8.4 assists, which landed her the single-season assist record as the most assists in a WNBA season. 

Rounding out her offensive game, she also has an underrated knack for securing rebounds, collecting 5.7 this season. That propelled her to be the first rookie in the WNBA to score a triple-double, of which she had two on the season. 

For Clarke, she is a generational talent, with many hidden facets to her game that make her one of the most explosive and well-rounded female basketball players we have today. 

Looking back at her rookie season, it’s easy to see that she had one of the most dominant and accomplished rookie seasons in all of sports and topped it off by winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year this past month. 

For Clarke, she went above and beyond her rookie expectations and as a result has set the league on notice as one of the best players in the league.

What’s terrifying is her youth— at only 22 years old Clark has more than enough time to supercharge her game with a professional training regimen and years of competition against the greatest in the sport ahead of her. With this season alone, she has cemented herself in conversation with players such as A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, and Kelsey Plum as not only the best players in the WNBA but also the most influential. 

Although Clarke’s performance on the court this season was otherworldly, where she brought the most value was the exposure and promotion they collectively brought to WNBA and women’s basketball off the court and onto your screens.

The WNBA season drew close to a million total viewers on average for their games this season, a feat that has not been accomplished for 16 years dating back to 2008.

On top of that, it has been revealed that every demographic viewership category has seen a double-digit increase with the most substantial increases coming from young viewers and male viewers. 

Some credit should go to the WNBA’s marketing division as well, as they made sure to take advantage of Clark’s arrival by making access to the WNBA much easier with many more national broadcasts.

Due to this, the viewership of young girls– aged seven to 17 —shot up to 181 per cent increase while teenage girls and women (18 to 34) grew by 54 per cent which is incredible for the sport. 

Clark wasn’t the only rookie to shine this year either. The entire 2024 rookie class did their part to promote the game this season.

Like Clarke, no.7 overall pick Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky brought her share of superiority to the league by breaking numerous records of her own, providing skilful highlights and many infamous quotes that showed the league she will be one of the elite talents for years to come.

Reese finished off her rookie campaign with 13.6 points per game and an astonishing 13.1 rebounds per game which is the most by any rookie ever.

This record break was so impressive in the basketball world that even ex-NBA star, Gilbert Arenas, showed his praise when he said on his podcast, Gil’s Arena, that Reese has the potential to become the best WNBA rebounder of all time.

For Reese, although she may not share the same finesse and playstyle as her rival Clarke, she still managed to show the same flashes of absolute stardom during points of this season.

Reese proved her skillset of bully ball could match the high flying abilities of Clarke. Reese paved the way for herself and now it’s up to her how far she wants to take it. For her, the sky’s the limit. 

Sparks rookie, Cameron Brink, had a promising start to her season before it was cut short by an ACL tear. Even in her limited playing time, there were flashes of magnificence that only served as confirmation of her impending stardom. 

Brink showed huge potential early, as in high school, she averaged just under four blocks per game as a freshman. In her sophomore season, Brink led Southridge to a 28–1 record and a second straight Class 6A state championship posting 17.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.

In the NCAA, Brink was a college all-star at Stanford. In her senior year, she averaged 21.5 points per game, 20.5 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game, leading the team as the top seed and regular season champion heading into the PAC-12 tournament. 

Although Stanford did not win it all, Brink was still awarded a spot on the All-tournament team after her hall-of-fame-level season leading up to that point. 

Even a rookie such as Nika Muhl, after a successful college career, played in the shadows of a stacked Seattle Storm team, Muhl managed to promote the game in other ways by appearing on heavily known Instagram account, “League Fits” as one of the best-dressed players in the WNBA. 

Although she is well dressed, she is also a very good basketball player who will hopefully be able to showcase her talents more on the court as she gains more playing time. 

The WNBA as a product has grown exceptionally, growth that few would’ve imagined, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the league not too many years ago. 

Now, with this injection of superpowered rookies, that old uncertainty is as good as gone. The WNBA is growing, and it’s growing fast. With the influx of talent, personalities, and of course an exceptional product on the court, women’s basketball has changed forever. The viewership numbers have rocketed this season and have put North American women’s sports in the best position it has ever been in. 

We are experiencing a renaissance in women’s basketball and women’s sports as a whole. There’s no telling just what the future holds for not only Clark, Reese, and the other rookies, but the WNBA and women’s sports as a whole.