NBA cites Angel Reese & Caitlin Clark to help secure $200 million valuation for WNBA (Image credit: Imagn)

Before Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark ever stepped onto a WNBA court, the pair had already made waves in college, where Reese competed for LSU, and Clark competed for Iowa. Despite the hype surrounding their 2023 March Madness final, the duo broke the women’s March Madness viewership record the following year with their Elite Eight meeting in 2024.

When both declared for the WNBA draft, there was an immediate impact on the league, with the Indiana Fever, who had the No. 1 pick, being booked for 36 of their 40 regular season games on national TV. Since then, Reese and Clark have continued to fuel a rise in interest surrounding the WNBA.

Arenas around the US are routinely sold out when Caitlin Clark and the Fever play on the road, while the pair’s All-Star jerseys sold out in minutes before the WNBA All-Star-Team USA clash at All-Star weekend.

At the same time, the WNBA began negotiations for their new media rights deal, with the league eventually agreeing to a new deal which will run from 2026 through 2036.

According to CNBC, when NBC, Disney (ESPN), and Amazon were negotiating for the NBA’s media rights deal, the WNBA set to receive $125 million per year according to a valuation from Endeavor Group.

The NBA, citing Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark’s popularity, and the increased interest surrounding the W, believed that the offer wasn’t big enough, which resulted in the WNBA receiving $200 million per year as part of the new media rights deal.

Interesting little nugget in a recent @FOS newsletter on WNBA rights… pic.twitter.com/58OK3YCH1Q

— Flo Lloyd-Hughes (@FloydTweet) August 6, 2024

Looking closer at Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark’s on-court rivalry, and how it has helped the WNBA’s growth

Before Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese had the chance to compete against one another in the WNBA, their popularity made waves around the WNBA. The most notable change that was sparked by the arrival of the popular rookies was the WNBA chartering flights for players.

While the league’s decision to charter flights for players had been a long time coming, with players like Breanna Stewart working to spark change prior to the arrival of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, the popularity of the two rookies was seen as a catalyst for change.

Despite the fact that their arrival to the W was expected to bring new eyes to the league, their impact can’t be understated. Back in June, the latest meeting between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky set the WNBA viewership record as the most-watched game in 23 years, drawing in a whopping 2.3 million viewers.

As Cathy Engelbert explained in a statement after the league finalized their new media rights deal, the agreement is part of a big chapter in WNBA history that coincides with the rise in popularity.

“Partnering with Disney, Amazon and NBCU marks a monumental chapter in WNBA history and clearly demonstrates the significant rise in value and the historic level of interest in women’s basketball.

“These agreements allow the league to continue to build a long-term and sustainable growth model for the future of women’s basketball and sports which will benefit WNBA players, teams and fans.”

While the WNBA is currently on hiatus due to the Olympic break, play will resume on Aug. 15, with three games, including a meeting between Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky and the Phoenix Mercury.