WNBA EYES ‘CLARK EFFECT'

Draft class of 2024 could be league’s economic drivers for the next 30 years

- 

After a dazzling college career that smashed records on and off the basketball court, Caitlin Clark's legacy as a trailblazing icon for women's sport is already secure.

Now, as the 22-year-old prepares to be chosen with the No. 1 pick in next week's WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) draft, experts are predicting that she may well have the same kind of transformative effect on women's professional basketball.

Cathy Engelbert, the WNBA's commissioner, said on April 8 that Clark and the next generation of women's basketball players will be economic engines that will ensure the league's financial footing for the next 30 years.

Engelbert told CNBC that the WNBA expects to see its existing media deals double in value, from around US$50 million (S$67.3 million) a year to US$100 million, when they are next negotiated in 2025.