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.