The WNBA and women’s basketball have experienced a significant surge in popularity recently, largely due to Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark. However, former LSU star and Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese feels she deserves recognition for this boom as well.
“The reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person,” Reese said. “It’s because of me, too. I want y’all to realize that.”
Both Clark and Reese have been pivotal in the rising popularity of women’s basketball over the past two seasons. Reese specifically mentioned the 2023 NCAA women’s national championship game between LSU and Iowa, where she embraced the “bad guy” role.
“It all started with the national championship game, and I’ve been dealing with this for two years now,” Reese said. “And understanding like, yeah negative things have probably been said about me, but honestly, I’ll take that, because look at where women’s basketball is. People are talking about women’s basketball that you never would think would talk about women’s basketball… Just because of one single game. Just looking at that, I’ll take that role. I’ll take the bad guy role.”
Despite labeling herself as the “bad guy,” Reese has built a substantial fanbase, similar to Clark. She has amassed more than 3 million followers on Instagram and has played a significant role in attracting a larger audience to women’s basketball.
This season, six different networks have reported record viewership for WNBA games, according to Front Office Sports’ David Rumsey. ESPN2, ABC, and ESPN have all broadcast games with over 1.5 million viewers, while Ion, CBS, and NBA TV have also seen record-high viewership.
Clark is a major factor in this growth, but other talented rookies like Reese, Cameron Brink, and others have also contributed significantly to the league’s expansion.
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