“I think we have to understand that when one player eats, we’re all eating, and we all get more opportunities. It just opens it up for everyone else.” WNBA legend and Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie aptly articulated the effect Caitlin Clark has on the league. Her words ring true when you look at the numbers from 2024. The league has seen a 48 percent jump in attendance, with sold-out games more than doubling compared to 2023. Clark’s matchups alone draw over 15,000 fans on average, more than twice the usual crowd.

Interestingly, the WNBA’s momentum hasn’t slowed even with Clark spending time on the bench this year. As of August 20, 2025, the league has already drawn 2.5 million fans across 226 games, setting a new all-time attendance record. What makes it more impressive is that the previous record, set 23 years ago, required 256 games to reach the same mark. Reportedly, much of this surge is being credited to a new crop of players in the league.

During the August 21 episode of Front Office Sports Today, analyst Colin Salao was asked a pressing question: “How important is it for the WNBA to have performances like Paige Bueckers, given the fact Caitlin Clark is out right now?” Salao responded by highlighting the league’s growing depth of talent: “I think it’s extremely important to show that there are other stars in the league.” He believes that as the league is getting more exposure, inadvertently through Clark, it is giving rise to new fandom for other athletes.

The prime example is the Indiana Fever. They now have a loyal fanbase that is keeping track of what the team is doing. “Then people will start being fans of these other teams. Looking at the Fever themselves have a huge fan base right now, even with Caitlin Clark gone, who are caring about Aliyah Boston, who are caring about Kelsey Mitchell.” According to Salao, Bueckers is just the latest display of the stardom that exists around the league outside of Clark. “I think it is partly the effect of Clark that is going on with players like Paige Bueckers,” Salao added.

With this declaration, he positioned the Wings’ rookie as the torchbearer carrying the fire Clark lit last year. And what a way Bueckers has declared herself in the W. The UConn product averages 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. The LA Sparks game was the crown jewel of her debut season, scoring 44 points. She alone amassed more than 50 percent of her team’s points. And she is not alone to carry this limelight.

Is Caitlin Clark no longer the main attraction of the WNBA?

The WNBA has set a new all-time attendance record with 2.5 million fans. But surprisingly, Caitlin Clark is not at the helm of it. And wait till you hear who overthrew Clark and the Indiana Fever. A team that just made its debut this year, the Golden State Valkyries. They surpassed the Fever by a margin of 6,000 fans, a clear sign of the league’s rising popularity. The Valkyries have sold out every home game at Chase Center, consistently drawing crowds of over 18,000.

According to reports, the Valkyries have already secured at least $20 million in sponsorship revenue this season. They are also projected to earn another $35 million from 10,000 season-ticket holders and premium ticket packages. These numbers dwarf what any other WNBA team can generate. For perspective, the Indiana Fever led the league last season with an estimated $32 million in total revenue across all business lines.

Still, experts insist that Caitlin Clark remains the catalyst behind the surge. “The league was growing, but [Clark] obviously was the secret ingredient that took the league to another level,” says Ivo Voynov, head of sports finance at Citi Private Bank. “If [Golden State] had done this in 2019, it would be a different story, but on the heels of Clark and Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, it’s a perfect storm.”

The WNBA is thriving, and its momentum keeps building. The league still runs on the Caitlin Clark effect, but the spotlight is now expanding to include other stars as well.