Caitlin Clark’s meteoric rise in popularity dating back to her time in college can only be rivaled by a few athletes in the history of sports. But as far as FS1 host Nick Wright sees things, the sky is truly the limit to how popular Clark can become.
The proof has been in the pudding when it comes to the impact Clark has had on ratings in the WNBA. Last season, nine of the ten most-watched games included Clark’s Indiana Fever, a trend that has continued in the few games that she has played early on this season.
Clark’s popularity had truly transcended the bubble that countless other talented WNBA stars have been placed in over the years. And according to Nick Wright, who discussed the topic on Tuesday’s edition of The Herd alongside Colin Cowherd, Clark could soon find herself as the most popular basketball player regardless of gender.
“You and I kind of keep upping the ante on where we think her star is going,” Wright said to Cowherd. “And I have decided that it can’t be upped high enough. So here is the question I have, as crazy as this sounds. Once Steph (Curry) and LeBron (James) retire, will there be an active American athlete that is not a quarterback, that is more famous than her?”
“No,” responded Cowherd.
“I think she will be more famous than every baseball player, she might already be,” added Wright. “Every hockey player. All of the U.S. Men’s National Team. And every football player that isn’t Patrick Mahomes and maybe Lamar (Jackson) and Josh (Allen). There is only a few. And I think she is already more famous than every NBA player but KD, Steph, and LeBron. And I don’t see any of those guys catching her. I think she is a supernova of fame and talent.”
Football is typically king when it comes to the kind of widespread popularity of players on a national level. So Wright could certainly likely add a few names like Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, and Dak Prescott to the list of players who at least rival Clark’s popularity, if not exceed it.
But when you strictly look at the landscape of basketball currently, Wright may be spot on in his assessment.
Media members have continued to ask who the next face of the NBA is once LeBron James retires. And while Clark obviously doesn’t play in the NBA to have a stake for that claim, she may very well be the true face of basketball as a whole when LeBron calls it quits.