Such has been Caitlin Clark’s rapid ascent in the WNBA that according to the latest ESPN personalization data, the Indiana Fever rookie is the most-favorited athlete, trailing only behind LeBron James, Steph Curry, and golf legend Tiger Woods.
The women’s basketball league has also seen the largest Year-on-Year growth based on the sports site’s latest statistics. Clark led all players with a massive +373% MoM growth to become the 4th most-favorited active athlete.
Flora Kelly from ESPN Research crunched the numbers on Twitter highlighting her popularity.
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“Based on ESPN personalization data, the WNBA has seen the largest YoY growth (+47%) among sports with 1M+ favorites. Caitlin Clark led all players with +373% MoM growth to become the 4th most- favorited active athlete, only behind LeBron James, Tiger Woods, and Steph Curry.”
Clark has been a headline generator ever since she announced her decision to enter the 2024 WNBA Draft.
The former lowa Hawkeyes guard was selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Fever and has gone on to become their leading scorer. Her efforts have propelled the Fever to a four-game winning streak as she averages 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists.
Caitlin Clark and Fever took the floor against Atlanta Dream at a packed State Farm Arena The Indiana Fever vs Atlanta Dream was a packed affair as Caitlin Clark and her side took the hardwood in front of 17,575 fans at State Farm Arena.
The attendance also set the franchise record for Atlanta for single-game home attendance. Previously, the record was 11,609 for the franchise’s inaugural contest vs the Detroit Shock in 2008. The Dream has played its games at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park since 2021 and has a seating capacity of 3,500
However, the high ticket demand for the Friday clash against Caitlin Clark and Indiana saw the franchise move the game to the Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena. The two teams will face off again at the same venue on August 26. Up next, Caitlin Clark and the Fever will take on Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky at the Wintrust Arena. They follow it up with a skirmish against Seattle Storm.