Coming off of this year’s historic NCAA Tournament, all eyes were on the WNBA draft that took place on April 15. With breakout stars such as Caitlin Clark, a former University of Iowa guard, and Cameron Brink, a former Stanford University forward, this draft class is being called special by many, as their skill and star power draws millions of fans to the game. Following Clark’s historic season and the South Carolina Gamecocks going undefeated, the NCAA Tournament set the stage for a one-of-a-kind WNBA draft.
In the women’s national championship, the Iowa Hawkeyes faced the South Carolina Gamecocks, averaging 18.7 million viewers, as compared to the men’s national championship, which averaged 14.82 million viewers, according to NPR. The game brought historical attention to women’s basketball, as it was the most watched basketball game since 2019, a statistic that includes men’s and women’s basketball as well as college and professional.
The WNBA draft saw a packed room, with tickets to the event selling out in just 15 minutes, as the event opened to the public for the first time since 2016. With 36 picks in total, the event was full of prospective picks and their teammates supporting them. Among some of the more noteworthy faces in the audience was University of Connecticut guard Paige Bueckers, the potential No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft. Despite deciding to take a fifth year in college basketball, Bueckers remains a standout prospect from the Class of 2020, helping to raise viewership for women’s basketball. Despite not being a draft pick for this class, Bueckers drew attention following the draft due to her Louis Vuitton look and “proud-mom-esque” cheers for her drafted teammates, Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Mühl.
The draft itself lived up to expectations and set the league up for success in the upcoming years. To nobody’s surprise, the Indiana Fever chose Caitlin Clark as the No. 1 overall pick, looking to build their offense around the young star. Indiana is excited to welcome Clark, with the watch party for the draft drawing a crowd large enough to fill an arena. The Los Angeles Sparks also had a promising draft, selecting Cameron Brink as the No. 2 overall pick and Rickea Jackson of the University of Tennessee as the No. 4 overall pick. This duo looks to jumpstart Los Angeles’ offense throughout the season, with preseason play beginning on May 5.
Another new duo was found in Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese, the No. 3 and No. 7 overall picks, respectively, both selected by the Chicago Sky. Reese and Cardoso drew attention with these draft picks due to their fierce competitiveness during their college careers, with Reese at Louisiana State University (LSU) and Cardoso at South Carolina. The two maintained a strong rivalry throughout their time at their respective universities. Both players expressed excitement about being teammates, with Cardoso saying, “Nobody’s going to get no rebounds on us,” according to WTTW, speaking to the defensive powerhouse the two hope to be in their time in Chicago.
The night continued with feel-good stories, as Clark’s teammate Kate Martin was drafted at No. 18 overall by the Las Vegas Aces, despite solely attending the draft to support Clark. The stories and athletes of the 2024 WNBA draft helped to continue the momentum of the NCAA season, drawing over three million peak viewers as compared to last year’s 572,000 viewers. With players revolutionizing the game, the attention on them is sure to continue as they join professional rosters. Reese even took to social media asking to be called “Chi-Barbie,” as she looks to transition her “Bayou Barbie” nickname from LSU to fit her new position on the Chicago Sky. The new generation of players continues to revolutionize the game of women’s basketball, and it is clear the game is moving in the right direction when it comes to giving the WNBA the same amount of attention as their male counterparts.
