Is Caitlin Clark the Michael Jordan of the WNBA?

• Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is the tip of the spear of unprecedented interest in the WNBA
• An easy comparison can be made to how Michael Jordan drove the popularity of the NBA in the 1990s
• 54 million people watched the WNBA in 2024, up 170% from 2023

Women’s basketball is booming, riding the crest of a cultural wave that’s been a long time coming and it’s impossible to ignore WBNA superstar Caitlin Clark riding its crest.

The WNBA’s extraordinary increase has popularity been dubbed "the Caitlin Clark effect".

It started well before the now 23-year-old joined the Indiana Fever in 2024. In NCAA women’s college basketball, Clark played as point guard for Iowa Hawkeyes and in her four years and 139 games she poured in 3,951 points at 28.4 points per game, crowning her the NCAA all-time leading scorer — women AND men. The next closest is women’s basketballer is Los Angeles Sparks star Kelsey Plum with 3,527 in the same number of games.

In Clark’s first season, she won the WNBA Rookie of the Year, was named an All-Star but it was her star power filled stadiums … like never before. The three biggest crowds were all Indiana Fever games to power WNBA attendance to its highest level in 22 years. It wasn’t just bums on seats, the WNBA drew 54 million digital viewers, which is an astounding 170% increase from 2023.

Related: How to watch the WNBA in Australia

In 1992, Michael Jordan took the NBA to the world as the best player on the greatest team ever assembled, the US Dream Team, at the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.

Jordan’s popularity transcended the game across the rest of the decade, became a world-famous cultural icon, helped drive unprecedented revenue growth and fandom after Magic Johnson and Larry Bird pushed the NBA into the mainstream in the 1980s.

It raises an intriguing question: Is Caitlin Clark in the 2020s to the WNBA that Michael was to the NBA in the 1990s?

Clark has a long way to go to earn comparisons to “Air Jordan” — he is a six-time NBA champion, five-time MVP, 14-time All-star selections and … and … his career accomplishments are hard to summarise. As Shaquille O’Neal, Johnson and virtually anyone around the world have declared, he is the GOAT.

But breaking records in the men's and women’s divisions, earning Rookie of the Year and All-Star honours, it's little wonder Clark’s talent and her immediate cultural impact can draw comparisons to one of the greatest of the game.

The Chicago Bulls squad in the 1990s is still recognised far beyond NBA fans. A team that landed two hat-trick titles in one decade is widely considered one of the greatest basketball teams of all time. Led by coach Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen the Bulls became part of the lexicon, and remain as much today.

Jordan’s reputation as an NBA player extended well beyond the game into pop culture legacy. His nickname ‘Air Jordan’ came from his ability to seemingly hang in the air and spectacular ability to dunk the basketball. His signature Air Jordan sneakers still generate more than a billion dollars a year globally 40 after they were first released.

The surge of attention on the WNBA, watching Caitlin Clark perform, is starting to feel much like Jordan’s 90s magic.

In the dawn of her career, Clark, much like Jordan, has already earned her own nickname. ‘Caitlin from Downtown’ Clark was named by Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White, referring to her near limitless range from three.

Beyond the shadow of Jordan, Clark is paving her own way as one of the greats in basketball during an exciting era for the women’s league.

The 2025 season tipped off last week, with Indiana Fever crushing the Chicago Sky by 35 points. Between these teams is a brewing rivalry, between Clark and Sky forward Angel Reese that started in college.

Reese, who was also a rookie in 2024, has constantly said more fans aren’t just watching the WNBA because of Clark, there are other players too, including her.

The third quarter saw a dispute between the two players break out when Clark committed a hard foul on Reese, knocking her to the floor. The foul sparked confrontation between Clark and Reese, who was restrained by Fever’s Aaliyah Boston, before it escalated further.

Clark’s foul was categorised as a Flagrant 1. After the game, Clark shrugged off the hit as merely a “take foul” without malice; “let’s not make it something that it’s not” she said in a post-match interview.

A valid flagrant or not, the incident has no doubt added more fuel to the existing fire, entertaining fans and bringing attention to the league. It can be expected the season will continue with just as much thrill.

With a gripping rivalry, an undefeated team in the preseason, and swelling support for women’s basketball, it’s a good year to be Caitlin Clark.  

It’s perhaps not overstated to coin Clark the Michael Jordan of the WNBA but only time will tell.