The four-time NBA champion and four-time NBA Finals MVP, legendary player, LeBron James, has recently shared his take on the popularity of women"s basketball games that has risen incredibly well over the past few months due to top-notch players gracing the court with their excellence.
LeBron James believes the popularity of the women’s NCAA tournament this year compared to the men’s is the "icons" involved in the women’s game. But he pointed out the Catch-22 of those players growing their profile because they’re prevented from being one-and-done. pic.twitter.com/h1VZXhIwd7
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 4, 2024
According to ESPN, the King mentioned considering the positive and profound influence the female players are currently having on the game. He stated, "I don"t think there"s much difference between the men"s and women"s game when it comes to college basketball. I think the popularity comes in with the icons that they have in the women"s game. You look at Angel Reese, you look at JuJu [Watkins], you look at Caitlin Clark, you look at Paige [Bueckers]. You look at the young girl that"s at Iowa State, the freshman there [Audi Crooks]. You look at [Cameron] Brink … at Stanford. And that"s just to name a few. And the freshman that"s at Notre Dame [Hannah Hidalgo]. Because they"re not allowed to go to the NBA [after their freshman year]."
The Elite Eight NCAA Tournament matchup was highly-anticipated as two superstars, Iowa Hawkeyes all-time Division I leading scorer, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, the NCAA champion of 2023, were coming together for the battle. The game attracted an average of 12.3 million viewers on the giant network, ESPN.
James further mentioned, "You"re able to build a real iconic legacy at a program," James said. “And that"s what we all love about it. That"s what we all love. We love the girl"s game because of that moment you actually get to see those girls [build to]. That"s what makes the girl"s Final Four and the Elite Eight so great. Yeah, Iowa was a great team; Caitlin Clark is the reason we tuned in. You"re going to watch Purdue because of Zach Edey, because he"s a great player. We watched that Purdue-Tennessee game because of Zach Edey and [Dalton] Knecht. Players, depending on who they are, will drive the attention when it comes to viewership."
The King shared his thoughts after the matchup against the Washington Wizards. The Lakers defeated the Wizards with a final score of 120-125. The Lakers will next face the Cleveland Cavaliers and then the Minnesota Timberwolves.
