A’ja Wilson is TIME’s 2025 Athlete of the Year for all the right reasons. The Aces star just delivered one of the greatest seasons the W has ever seen and capped it off with her third championship in four years. But it was her interview with TIME that truly left people stunned. The WNBA superstar pushed back hard on the idea that the league’s rise in popularity over the past two years is mainly because of Caitlin Clark. And that stance has sparked a huge uproar across social media.

“It wasn’t a hit at me because I’m going to do me regardless,” Wilson said. “I’m going to win this MVP. I’ll win a gold medal. Y’all can’t shake my resume. It was more so, let’s not lose the recipe. Let’s not lose the history. It was erased for a minute. And I don’t like that. Because we have tons of women that have been through the grimiest of grimy things to get the league where it is today.”

W players being reluctant to acknowledge Caitlin Clark’s impact isn’t new. Recently, Stephen A. Smith brought up the topic with UCLA head coach Cori Close, and she had a very interesting answer to share.

“I actually had the opportunity to coach Caitlin Clark in USA Basketball. Even back then, she had a charisma about her that’s infectious to everyone she comes in contact with,” Coach Close said. “You know, even though I coach at UCLA, I can appreciate the impact of what’s happening with JuJu over at USC. And I think they feel the same about what Lauren Betts is doing for us at UCLA. I think you have to have a broader view of growing the game if you’re going to really appreciate it. The reality is Caitlin Clark has raised the level of the fan base. It has broadened it, it has deepened it, and we are all benefiting from that.”

You can talk about Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking rookie season, where she shattered the WNBA’s single-season assist record with 337 assists and set the rookie scoring record with 769 points. But her impact went far beyond the stat sheet. What her presence did off the court was truly transformational for the league.

• Clark’s regular-season games in 2024 averaged 1.2 million viewers, a staggering 199% increase compared to games she didn’t play in.
• TV viewership rose by 300%, and an incredible 45% of the league’s total broadcast value came from Fever games.
• Merchandise sales rose by 601%
• Social media views increased by 436.2%
• Overall attendance increased by 48%

If that doesn’t prove the meteoric impact Caitlin Clark had on the W, then maybe this will. Dr. Ryan Brewer of Indiana University Columbus estimated that Clark generated $36 million in local economic impact on her own. And it didn’t stop there. A Common Sense Institute report found that Iowa’s GDP rose by an estimated $14.4 million to $52.3 million, fueled directly by the Caitlin Clark effect.

So the fact remains that Caitlin is in the league because she can flat-out hoop. She built her fanbase organically by staying home and playing for Iowa instead of joining a powerhouse program. Before her, no one in the women’s game regularly pulled up from the logo. She did things fans had never seen, and that talent naturally drew the spotlight. That’s why the spotlight is on her. Her fanbase is simply bigger than everyone else’s.

But that doesn’t mean fans will suddenly forget the work of the W greats who spent years building the league. No one is undermining their impact, and that includes A’ja Wilson. This isn’t some effort to erase the contributions of the women who shaped the WNBA, past or present. Caitlin Clark consistently praises the legends who came before her, and she never claims responsibility for making women’s basketball the fastest-growing sport in the country — even though her influence has clearly helped drive that rise.

The league viewership for both the regular season and postseason rose by 5% to 6% per game across ESPN networks, which shows where the WNBA is heading, even with Clark playing only 13 games. Yes, a new team was added and the schedule expanded, but the rise still points to an era where more and more fans are tuning in. As the talent level keeps climbing and new stars enter the league every year, the interest is only going to grow.

The proof of the W’s rising popularity comes from one of her own teammates, who recently overtook her to reach a major milestone of her own!

Sophie Cunningham Dethrones Caitlin Clark

Google recently released its annual “Year in Search,” highlighting the 10 most-searched athletes in the U.S., and only one female athlete made the list. Last year, Caitlin Clark carried the WNBA’s flag in the top 10. This year, that spot shifted to her teammate Sophie Cunningham, who replaced Clark on the list.

Cunningham was asked about making Google’s most-searched athlete list on the December 9 episode of her Show Me Something podcast. She gave an honest reaction, saying:

“You know, I don’t really know how to feel about that. It’s kind of cool, I guess. You’re the only female up there. That’s fun. [Being the only woman on the list] was pretty cool. I think it’s kind of cool, but there’s no real feeling towards it. People want to know more about me!”

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Turns out this achievement didn’t mean much to Sophie personally, but it does tell us that the popularity of the W was never limited to just Caitlin Clark. Yes, Sophie did benefit from being close to Caitlin, and their off-court chemistry and fun banter have definitely pulled fans in. But this moment proves the league isn’t a one-woman show.

Caitlin helped elevate the WNBA, not take credit away from the women who built it.