Caitlin Clark’s incredible rise in popularity is due in part to running, according to Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson.
Women’s basketball is experiencing a golden moment and that is largely due to the exploits of the prolific Clark.
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She became the leading scorer in NCAA basketball history with the Iowa Hawkeyes last season as she helped her college team reach the March Madness title game.
And last month, Clark was selected with the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever.
She’s becoming a genuinely big name across American sports, signing major marketing deals in the process.
Wilson believes race is an element of her success, which she explained in an interview with the Associated Press.
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“I think it’s a huge thing. I think a lot of people might say it’s not black and white, but for me it is,” she said.
“It’s really because you can be excellent at who you are as a black woman, but maybe that’s something people don’t want to see.
“They don’t see it as marketable, so it doesn’t matter how hard I work.
“No matter what we all do as black women, we will still be swept under the rug.
“That’s why my blood boils when people say it’s not about race, because it is.”
Clark reached a deal with Nike that will reportedly pay him $28 million over eight years.
The deal, which will include exclusive footwear for Clark, is the richest endorsement deal for a women’s basketball player.
WBNA expects unprecedented levels of interest in the new season.
There was record viewership for the women’s tournament in March Madness and this year’s Draft.
The NCAA title game between the Hawkeyes and South Carolina Gamecocks was the most-watched basketball broadcast since 2019.
The game averaged 18.7 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, peaking at 24 million.
The Draft then drew 2.5 million viewers on ESPN.
The Fever play their opening game of the season against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday.
Indiana will then play its first home game of the campaign against the New York Liberty on Thursday.
Manager Christie Sides said: “The month of May is crazy but that’s the league we play in.
“I talked a lot to the players about the importance of recovery.”
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