Lakers star LeBron James gave his insights regarding the rising popularity of Caitlin Clark and women’s college basketball as a whole.
The 2024 March Madness has belonged to the women, thanks to the sheer star power in display in the festivities. In the Elite Eight alone, fans were able to witness the heavyweight clash between Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese as well as a passing of the torch of sorts between UConn’s Paige Bueckers and USC’s JuJu Watkins. This is the main reason, according to Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, why the women’s NCAA tournament has overshadowed the men’s in 2024 in terms of publicity and fanfare.
Speaking to reporters following the Lakers’ 125-120 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, James dropped an eye-opening take regarding the rising popularity of women’s college basketball.
“I don’t think there’s much difference between the men and women game when it comes to college basketball. The popularity comes in [with] the icons that they have in the women’s game. You look at Angel Reese, JuJu [Watkins], you look at Caitlin Clark, you look at Paige [Bueckers],” James said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
LeBron James believes the popularity of the women’s NCAA tournament this year compared to the men’s is the “icons” involved in the women’s game. But he pointed out the Catch-22 of those players growing their profile because they’re prevented from being one-and-done. pic.twitter.com/h1VZXhIwd7
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 4, 2024
LeBron James also pointed out that the WNBA’s draft eligibility rules contribute to the popularity of the woman’s game in college basketball. There are no one-and-dones for women; they are required to be at least 22 years old (around three to four years out of high school) which leaves them plenty of time to build their brands in college.
“Because they’re not allowed to go the WNBA, you’re able to build a real iconic legacy at a program. That’s what we all love about it. We love the girl’s game because you get to see those girls make the Final Four and Elite Eight so great. Caitlin Clark is the reason we tune in. Players, depending on who they are, will drive the attention when it comes to viewership,” James added.
Caitlin Clark is the LeBron James of college basketball
Every so often, a professional athlete whose star shines so bright comes around and becomes the center of attention no matter what they do. LeBron James, ever since being hyped up as one of the best draft prospects prior to his entry into the NBA in 2003, is a viewership magnet, and almost everything he does is news-worthy and everything he says is quote-worthy.
For college basketball, Caitlin Clark is the biggest and brightest star among plenty who shine bright in their own right — their own version of LeBron. In four years playing for Iowa, Clark’s brand has only grown bigger and bigger, thanks in large part to how entertaining she is on the court (by virtue of his elite range from beyond the arc) and how many records she has set.
Clark is the all-time leader in points scored in NCAA Division I, passing the record Pete Maravich set back in the 1970s, and it’s a near certainty that she’ll continue to be a great ratings draw once the Indiana Fever finally draft her with the first overall pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Can the WNBA capitalize?
There is no doubt that the women’s college basketball scene is more popular than the WNBA even though the best women ballers in the planet play in that league. Sue Bird contended that the WNBA must pull out all the stops to capitalize on the growth of the sport and to give them the best financial opportunities to prevent the best players on the planet from having to play overseas just to maximize their monetary gain.
“The WNBA needs to do something with their business where these kids who are creating followings in high school – which are gonna get magnified in college because of the college basketball platform and NCAA Tournament and all the things. When those kids get to the WNBA, they can’t let them ever leave, and that could be a turning point, and it’s actually happening,” Bird said on The Ringer NBA Show.
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