The WNBA is riding the wave and taking center stage as it welcomes star players into the 2024 draft

“Who will be next?”

This is your query while you get to the pickup match in progress. You then ask if there are any spots left on the upcoming team(s). If not, this is your moment to make your most declarative statement out of court:

“I’ve got another one.”

These words hit harder in basketball because the team consists of only five players. With the right sensational player and three solid players, you’ll be able to all rule the court for some time. All you want to do is personally not suck.

Players chosen in the WNBA draft on Monday weren’t anxious about upsetting their college team. They helped generate interest and excitement over the past two seasons, resulting in record-breaking television viewership for the NCAA Tournament. This yr’s women’s title match attracted more viewers than the men’s title match, which is an unprecedented feat. The women’s tournament also set an all-time record total attendance record for the second season in a row.

I used to be there too, extending my viewing to the Monday night telecast. Other than learning about the next stop for big-name players like South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso and LSU’s Angel Reese (each of whom went to Chicago), I do not find the draft showcases particularly interesting. But I even have a soft spot for the emotions that arise when young adults pursue their childhood dreams surrounded by family and friends.

The matches didn’t look bad either.

Female athletes are having their moment in college, and that is expected to proceed in the pros. The Indiana Fever, which chosen Iowa’s Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 pick, will play 36 of 40 regular-season games national television, ensuring maximum exposure for the flutist of the sport. The ESPN analyst predicted record viewership for Clark’s May 14 debut and her first games against powerhouses Las Vegas and New York.

Viewership for the Indiana-Chicago game on June 1 also needs to take a success because Clark faced Reese. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert compared the upcoming season to 1979, when the NBA’s popularity soared with the addition of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

Clark and Reese have the potential to spark similar growth in the WNBA, which last yr enjoyed its most-watched season in 21 years. “This is our Magic Bird moment” – Engelbert he said USA today.

I recently wrote that Reese should return to highschool and work on her game, but apparently I’m an idiot. She placed seventh overall and immediately humbled herself by acknowledging the challenges faced by adult women. Dominating one other yr of school can be easy, but…

“I wanted to start over,” she added he said Monday. “I feel like I’ve been at the top since the national championship and now I want to hit rock bottom. I want to be a rookie again. I want the vets to knock me down, I want to get up and grow and become a sponge.”

Unfortunately for many college stars, including some drafted this yr, there aren’t enough options to go around. The WNBA has just 12 rosters and a complete of 144 roster spots; many teams only have 11 players resulting from salary cap rules. Only seven players from the 2021 draft remain on WNBA rosters shortly before the last season has come to an end.

The No. 1 pick in 2021 (Charli Collier) was amongst the draft picks and not using a job in 2023. Engelbert said the WNBA is “pretty confident” that can occur. expand to 16 teams by 2028, creating opportunities for more players. In the meantime, we will expect a deluge of selling and promotion, with Clark at the helm.

Judging by the media’s constant drooling over Clark, some consider that ladies’s basketball almost didn’t exist before she got here along. Her shooting and playmaking skills are truly exceptional and a highlight for hordes of latest fans. But she’s doing her best to teach those whose knowledge of the sport goes back to Iowa’s games with South Carolina and LSU over the past two years.

“We really have to look back at the women in front of us, and I know people keep saying this is a historic draft class, but there were many, many talented draft classes ahead of us,” Clark said Monday. “I just want to offer my props to the Dawn Staleys, Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Leslies because they’re the reason I’m here because I watched them grow up. I just hope I can proceed that legacy for young women.

Women “were next.”

I can not wait to see what they do on the court.

Sports

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