Caitlin Clark is the model Dallas Wings front office wants to follow in developing Paige Bueckers into a superstar
Woman basketball has never been hotter, and Caitlin Clark deserves a lot of the credit for lighting the fuse. From her electrifying days at Iowa, she made waves with two national championship games that shattered viewership records – 9.9 million tuned in for the 2023 clash between Angel Reese and LSU, while the 2024 final against South Carolina drew an astounding 18.9 million, a mark that could stand for years. This year’s title game, featuring Paige Buckers, drew a solid 8.5 million viewers, impressive but still in Clark’s shadow.
When Clark was selected first overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the momentum carried over. The draft became the most-watched ever, the All-Star Game pitting WNBA stars against Olympic gold medalists Team USA set new records, and the season itself broke records for attendance, revenue and merchandise sales. Arenas sold out, charter flights replaced cramped travel, and the league basked in unprecedented attention. Now, as the Buckers prepare to join the WNBA in 2025, their arrival promises to keep the spotlight shining and maybe even turn it up a notch, using Clark’s success as a marketing and sales playbook.
