The WNBA – and women’s sports as a whole – continues to see a significant uprise in popularity with each passing year.
But no rookie draft class has brought as many eyes as the 2024 class has, thanks to players such as Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese and, of course, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. While Warriors veteran forward Draymond Green didn’t hesitate to give Clark and the rookie class their flowers for bringing a new light to the W, he believes the WNBA could’ve done the same with A’ja Wilson years ago and missed its opportunity to market off the Las Vegas Aces center. “I ain’t saying Caitlin Clark is the best thing since sliced bread. Quite frankly, if you want my opinion, that’s A’ja Wilson,” Green said on his “The Draymond Green Show” podcast. “The best thing since sliced bread in the WNBA is A’ja Wilson. I’m not necessarily in the mindset that it’s all Caitlin Clark, no, A’ja Wilson is great. Aja Wilson to me is the American dream. Coming from a two-parent household, grew, got better, young Black girl, had everything against her, beat the odds to become what soon will be known as the greatest player to ever grace the WNBA. That’s quite honestly my opinion.
“I think Aja Wilson is as marketable as anybody in the WNBA, but you have to figure out how to market the product. So I’m not going to sit up here and act like Caitlin Clark ain’t done nothing for the WNBA. That’s bulls-t, yes she has. She’s going to continue to. No, I’m not in the assumption that it’s only her. I think y’all got a gold mine in the WNBA sitting right there, marketable as anybody in A’Ja Wilson and haven’t figured out how to make it go. Ain’t A’Ja fault. A’Ja got a lot about her that is as marketable as can be.”
Wilson, 27, was selected No. 1 overall by Las Vegas in the 2018 WNBA Draft after starring at South Carolina. She averages 20.1 points on 49.1-percent shooting, 8.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 blocks in 195 games over seven seasons.
The 6-foot-4 big leads the league in several categories this season, including rebounds per game, 2-point field goals and 2-point field goal attempts. She won Rookie of the Year in 2018 and has been crowned the WNBA MVP twice as well as earning Defensive Player of the Year in two consecutive seasons. And the two-time WNBA champ and 2020 Olympic gold medalist has shown пo signs of slowing down, either, as she is averaging 26.5 points on 48.4-percent shooting, with 12.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.8 blocks in six games this season. As great as Wilson has been on all surfaces, six years after she entered the league, it has been Clark’s effect that has drawn in a nationwide audience with record- breaking viewership. Clark’s welcome to the WNBA hasn’t been smooth sailing. After going No. 1 overall to Indiana, the star rookie is averaging 15.6 points on 35.7- percent from the field and just 29.7 from 3-point range, with 5.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists.
But the headlines surrounding her have gone beyond her production. Clark has been roughed up by opposing vets and called out in social media posts questioning what she brings to the WNBA
And while Green believes the W missed its marketing opportunity with Wilson, the league certainly has Clark and several other rookies to thank for bringing new fans to tune in. And whether that’s to watch Wilson dominate in the paint or Clark’s sharpshooting – they’re still watching. And that’s a win for everyone.
News
SINAMPAL AKO SA HARAP NG BUONG PAARALAN DAHIL SA ISANG LIBRENG TANGHALIAN—HINDI NILA ALAM, AKO PALA ANG BAGONG DEPUTY DIRECTOR NG DEPED CITY DIVISION
SINAMPAL AKO SA HARAP NG BUONG PAARALAN DAHIL SA ISANG LIBRENG TANGHALIAN—HINDI NILA ALAM, AKO PALA ANG BAGONG DEPUTY DIRECTOR NG DEPED CITY DIVISION Pagpasok ko sa school canteen, ang una kong napansin ay hindi ang maingay na usapan ng…
SA IKA-60 KAARAWAN NG NANAY KO, BINIGYAN AKO NG ISANG MANGKOK NG KANIN—PERO HINDI NILA ALAM NA AKO PALA ANG MAY-ARI NG KAPEHAN NA PINAGMAMALAKI NILA SA BUONG MAYNILA
SA IKA-60 KAARAWAN NG NANAY KO, BINIGYAN AKO NG ISANG MANGKOK NG KANIN—PERO HINDI NILA ALAM NA AKO PALA ANG MAY-ARI NG KAPEHAN NA PINAGMAMALAKI NILA SA BUONG MAYNILA Noong ika-60 kaarawan ni Mama, biglang nagsiuwi ang dalawa kong ate…
“AKALA NIYA MAHINA AKO… HANGGANG SA UMALIS AKO NANG WALANG LUHA!”
Limang taon nang nagtrabaho si Maria Santos sa isang pabrika ng tela sa Quezon City, at sa wakas ay napunta sa posisyon bilang pinuno ng pangkat. Hindi pa man natatapos ang promotion party, na ginanap sa kantina ng pabrika, nang…
A STRUGGLING SINGLE MOM MEANT TO TEXT HER COUSIN FOR MONEY TO BUY FEVER MEDICINE FOR HER 4-YEAR-OLD SON… BUT SHE SENT IT TO A BILLIONAIRE BY MISTAKE. AND WHEN HE SHOWED UP AT HER DOOR, A FADED NECKLACE AROUND HER NECK MADE HIS WORLD STOP.
Emily Carter never meant to text a wealthy stranger in the middle of the night. All she wanted…was for her son’s fever to go down before sunrise. It was past midnight in a quiet, rundown neighborhood in East Los Angeles….
Entering a Beverly Hills Mansion to Deliver a Package, Delivery Driver Stuns When He Sees a Photo That Looks Just Like His Wife — A Terrifying Secret Is Revealed…
Daniel Carter never imagined he would one day enter a mansion like this. The black iron gate was taller than two people. Security cameras slowly followed his every move. The driveway was wide, paved, and perfectly clean, but there was…
LABINDALAWANG TAON AKONG TINAWAG NA ANAK NG BASURERA—PERO SA ARAW NG GRADUATION, ISANG LINYA KO LANG ANG NAGPALUHOD SA LAHAT NG NANLIBAK SA AMIN
Ako si Jared. Sa loob ng labindalawang taon, iisa lang ang pagkakakilala sa akin ng buong paaralan—ang batang galing sa estero, ang anak ng babaeng nangangalakal, ang estudyanteng amoy araw, usok, at pagod. Hindi ako tinatawag sa pangalan ko. Tinatawag…
End of content
No more pages to load
