The WNBA has been on a meteoric rise ever since Caitlin Clark, the standout star from Iowa, entered the scene! This season, the league has set new records, with nationally televised games averaging an impressive 657,000 viewers, the highest in 24 seasons. Clark’s games have been a major driving force, drawing an average of 1.18 million viewers, nearly triple the viewership of other games. With 22 games surpassing the one-million-viewer mark, the WNBA has truly captivated the sports world, shattering a record that stood since 1998!
This surge in the WNBA’s popularity can be credited to a perfect storm of factors, the rise of dynamic stars like Clark and Angel Reese, new fans flocking to the league, and strategic prime-time broadcasts.
As television networks continue to shine a spotlight on women’s sports, athletes are getting better technically with each passing season, pushing the game to new heights. Los Angeles Lakers legend Michael Cooper, who has seen basketball evolve firsthand, sheds light on how the skill level of women athletes has skyrocketed, further fueling the WNBA’s meteoric rise.
On the ‘All the Smoke’ podcast, the legendary five-time NBA champion and former coach of the Los Angeles Sparks and Atlanta Dream, Michael Cooper, opened up about the things he enjoyed while coaching the women’s teams. He says, “I say there are two things about women I really enjoyed coaching, one they look better in their uniforms because we sometimes look scrawny and two they smell better when they come to the huddle, you know you come in, shot sweating on you and guys with smelly underarms, women always smell good man.”
While a slightly controversial statement at first, it is important to understand that Cooper was playfully saying it and he goes on to explain the real reason. He says, ” They also can play the game because they have to truly use all the fundamental aspects of the game because they’re below the rim, now they are, but back then they weren’t jumping up over the rim and dunking so that was the joy that I had with coaching women”
Cooper’s point highlights a key difference between the men’s and women’s games. Since most female players weren’t as tall as men, they had to rely heavily on pure fundamentals. Like footwork, passing, shooting, and high basketball IQ. Now, as the women’s game evolves with more athleticism and high-flying moments, his words serve as a reminder of just how much skill and dedication go into mastering the sport we love.
Michael Cooper isn’t the only one who has spent time praising the quality of women in basketball. LeBron James also had pretty interesting things to say about Caitlin Clark who he thinks is responsible for the growth of the WNBA. Let’s see what the King has to say about Clark!
LeBron credits Caitlin Clark for the growth of the WNBA
LeBron James shared his thoughts on the WNBA’s rising popularity and gave a lot of credit to Caitlin Clark. He praised the Indiana Fever rookie for making a huge impact and bringing more attention to the league.
In the Mind the Game podcast, LeBron said, ” The one thing that I love that she’s bringing to her sport, more people want to watch, more people want to tune in, don’t get it twisted, don’t get it f-cked up. Caitlin Clark is the reason why a lot of great things is happening for the WNBA.”
The WNBA is skyrocketing in popularity, with viewership numbers breaking records and fan engagement reaching new heights. LeBron James credits Caitlin Clark for this surge, calling her a game-changer for the league. But let’s not forget the role that years of hard work and technical improvement from women athletes have played in this evolution, as Michael Cooper points out. The skill level of female players has never been higher, and it’s clear the future of the sport is brighter than ever!
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