Shivatmika Manvi is an editor at EssentiallySports covering WNBA and college basketball. She has embraced multiple roles at ES, growing from an Olympic Sports writer to an Editor. Shivatmika has expertly covered the WNBA Finals between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx and the March Madness craze, too. 
Her love for the sport has enhanced her ingenuity to focus on minute details, and her passion for storytelling inspires writers to continually improve their articles only to craft concise, impactful, and crisp write-ups.

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Discover the highest-paid WNBA players of 2024! From Diana Taurasi’s legendary earnings to Jackie Young’s league-leading salary, we break down the top five earners and explore the pay gap in women’s sports. Don’t miss this in-depth look at how WNBA stars are shaping the game and their future. Watch now and join the conversation about the rising influence of women’s basketball!

5 WNBA Players Who Made the Most Money in 2024: Caitlin Clark and A'ja Wilson Didn’t Make the Cut!

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 The W’s preseason may be just heating up, but Angel Reese’s mom has already sparked a firestorm. It all unfolded after her daughter returned to LSU’s arena for a preseason matchup against the Brazilian national team. As always, Angel Webb Reese didn’t hold back. She’d make a cryptic tweet, triggering a few of Clark’s fans. But would her remark really compare? While fans were busy checking the attendance numbers—Reese’s return to Baton Rouge versus Caitlin Clark’s homecoming at Iowa—Webb dropped a not-so-subtle message on X: “Aww that certain fan base looking in the stands celebrating ‘attendance’ while others are looking up in the rafters celebrating championship banners.” It was a clear jab at Clark and the Hawkeyes, whose 2023 Final Four run was cut short by Reese’s LSU squad. Well, no denying that fact, but the numbers do settle one debate. To begin with, the attendance at the Sky vs Brazil game stood at 6,373 while the Carver-Hawkeye Arena witnessed all of its nearly 15,000 seats filled. They had reportedly shown up 90 minutes before the game, covering the arena in a sea of red and 22s. And Clark didn’t disappoint either. She pulled up from 36 feet and sank a three-pointer that instantly went viral. And more numbers followed. The Sky vs Brazil game pulled in 305,000 viewers on ION. Then there’s also Paige Bueckers, a rookie already predicted by some to rival Clark’s star power. Her debut game against the Aces averaged 406,000 on the same network. But the real jaw-dropping numbers came with the Indiana vs Brazil preseason game in Iowa. Caitlin Clark & Co. drew an average of 1.3 million viewers on ESPN, peaking at 1.6 million—a new record for the most-watched WNBA preseason game ever. And here’s more proof of Clark’s unmatched magnetism—her preseason game resulted in a 13% increase over the WNBA’s average regular season viewership on ESPN last year. “Caitlin Clark’s return to Iowa averaged more views than Paige Bueckers first game and Angel Reese’s return to LSU combined. And doubled. There is only one needle mover in the WNBA,” one of the X users declared. But if that hadn’t said enough to settle the talks, Rachel DeMita had more to add. “Since 2010, only two NBA preseason games have outrated this one,” the podcaster says, citing WNBA legend Rebecca Lobo. So who could possibly outdraw Clark? Only a GOAT can beat a GOAT—and that happens to be LeBron James. The most-watched NBA preseason game happened on October 10, 2018, when LeBron made his Lakers debut against the Golden State Warriors. That game pulled in nearly 2 million viewers on ESPN, setting the all-time NBA preseason record. And the runner-up? Also LeBron—during a 2017 Bulls vs. Cavs preseason clash following his Finals loss. That recorded 1.37 million. You see the weight of that? “Who thought that we would see the day where WNBA numbers were overtaking the NBA numbers? I predict that this is going to be something that happens for the entirety of the WNBA season, especially with this Indiana Fever team,” DeMita relishes. LeBron James may hold the crown now, but we cannot overlook the storm Clark has already created; one enough to surpass the men’s record previously. EVEN GOAT LEBRON JAMES AGREES TO CAITLIN CLARK’S INFLUENCE! Clark has been an absolute game-changer when it comes to her ability to draw attention both on and off the court. It all started with the 2024 NCAA Championship between Iowa and South Carolina. “Caitlin Clark is the sole reason why viewership has shot through the roof for our game,” shared South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. Her words weren’t without weight—after all, the game drew over 18.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched basketball game, men’s or women’s, since 2019. Even more impressively, it was the first time a women’s NCAA final outdrew the men’s championship. Even LeBron didn’t hesitate to acknowledge her influence: “Caitlin Clark is the reason we tuned in,” he said. That was the kind of hype Clark carried with her into the WNBA. And when she made her professional debut, she didn’t disappoint. Her WNBA opener became another milestone—her debut game against Connecticut Suns turned into the most-watched WNBA game since 2001, pulling in an average of 2.13 million viewers, and setting the all-time record for a WNBA game aired on ESPN platforms. Now, here she is in Year 2—and the regular season hasn’t even started yet. So, simply put: more of Clark’s dominance is on the way. 

Caitlin Clark shattered WNBA preseason viewership records with her electrifying return, eough to land among the elites

Yashika Dutta is a Basketball Writer at EssentiallySports, covering the NCAA, WNBA, and Olympics. A member of the EssentiallySports Journalistic Excellence Program, she specializes in the high-stakes energy of college basketball, with features on the Big Ten Conference and the chaos of March Madness that bring fans right to the hardwood. 

Her coverage has even caught the attention of UConn coaches and Olympian Rori Dunk, earning her recognition for both accuracy and insight. A former state-level basketball player, Yashika channels her on-court experience into reporting that captures the game’s intensity beyond the box score. With a player’s sense of timing and a journalist’s instinct for storytelling, she shines a light on rising stars like Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watkins, while unpacking the pressures and triumphs that shape college hoops.  

Whether charting a Big Ten rivalry or chronicling the ethos of March Madness, Yashika connects fans to the heart of the game with energy and authenticity.

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Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese & Paige Bueckers Settled Once & For All As LeBron
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Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese & Paige Bueckers Settled Once & For All As LeBron James Is Only Star Who Can Offer Resistance

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Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese &#038; Paige Bueckers Settled Once &#038; For All As LeBron James Is Only Star Who Can Offer Resistance

Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese & Paige Bueckers Settled Once & For All As LeBron James Is Only Star Who Can Offer Resistance - EssentiallySports

EssentiallySports is the home for the underserved fan, delivering storytelling that goes beyond the headlines. As a media platform, we combine deep audience insights with cultural trends, to meet fandom where it lives and where it goes next. Founded in 2014, EssentiallySports now engages with an audience of over 30m+ American sports fan on its website and 1m+ readers on its newsletters daily.

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Yashika Dutta is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports who actively covers NCAA Division 1 basketball. With more than two years of content creation experience, she showcased her journalistic skills by covering the 2023 Big Ten Volleyball Championships and the 2023 NCAA Division 1 Womenâ€™s Volleyball Championships before shifting to the thrilling world of the NBA. As a former state-level basketball player, Yashika brings her dynamic energy to the NBA team. Basketball isn't just a subject of her journalistic endeavors; it's a passion deeply ingrained in her past. From Caitlin Clark to JuJu Watkins, she covers the budding superstars in college basketball, keeping a keen eye on their futures.

Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese & Paige Bueckers Settled Once & For All As LeBron James Is Only Star Who Can Offer Resistance

Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese & Paige Bueckers Settled Once & For All As LeBron James Is Only Star Who Can Offer Resistance

Even Goat LeBron James agrees to Caitlin Clark’s influence!

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