The WNBA 2024 Draft was recently concluded with former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark being the No. 1 pick selected by the Indiana Fever. The second pick was Stanford sensation Cameron Brink and third was the 2024 NCAA champion, Kamilla Cardoso of the South Carolina Gamecocks.
The WNBA is undergoing crucial changes which were pointed out by the Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert at Brooklyn Academy of Music, during the Draft, she mentioned as per FOS, "It’s so clear that this draft class is entering the WNBA at an incredible time. We are witnessing a transformational moment in sports that we may not experience for generations. The business transformation that we’ve been working so hard at is showing results. Support for the WNBA is continuing to grow. Our sport has never been stronger on the court. We are ready for this moment."
Among incredible collegiate talent entering the WNBA Draft and getting selected, Clark has become one of the most famous prospects as she is hailed as a generational talent who has transformed the women"s basketball game and has taken its popularity to greater heights.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert says the goal is "to get to 16 teams in the next few years."
The league is currently at 13 teams—including the new Bay Area team—and currently in talks with:
• Philadelphia
• Toronto
• Portland
• Denver
• Nashville
• South Florida— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 16, 2024
According to the report by Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports, Clark is set to make $76,535 in salary from the Indiana Fever. However, even before entering the professional league, the superstar has made a name for herself with multiple endorsement deals. Her current projects are currently estimated at $3.1 million with an upcoming sneaker deal "worth seven figures".
Engelbert has also shared the WNBA’s plan on extending the team by expanding the geographical area. She has pointed out that the plan is "to get 16 teams in the next few years". The league currently has thirteen teams including the San Francisco Bay Area who will start playing in the 2025 year. She has also mentioned Philadelphia, Portland, Toronto, Nashville, Denver, and South Florida among the potential places for development. With four new teams being added to the WNBA, crucial finances supporting the league will be brought in as well. Expansion fee of $50 million was reportedly given by Warriors owner Joe Lacob to the San Francisco team.
Engelbert further mentioned, "I think as you look at streamers who have a subscription model, the WNBA gives the NBA longer programming across the year. I think Adam uses the quote of 320 [days]… I actually think it’s more days. And there’s no other set of two sports leagues that can offer that live programming and sports to a streamer like that. I would say probably in that case we need the NBA because we have a smaller footprint with only 40 games, and it’s nice to go to market together."
"The one thing I know about sports, you need household names, rivalries, and games of consequence. Those are the three things we’ve had over the past couple weeks, and hopefully will continue into the WNBA season."
The WNBA 2024 season will commence on May 14th and the upcoming media rights negotiations will be the next major step for the WNBA commissioner.
