Last year, Caitlin Clark took the WNBA by storm, winning the Rookie of the Year award, setting records on the court, and breaking many more off it. Her impact turned the 2024 season into the highest-viewership, most arena sold-out, and most social media interactive season in league history. Her influence earned her TIME Magazine’s prestigious Athlete of the Year award, where she edged out the historic Simone Biles, who had just won four medals at the Paris Olympic Games.
Clark joined Biles (2021) as only the second woman to win the award. For the 2025 edition, another woman joins that exclusive list: the four-time MVP and three-time WNBA champion, A’ja Wilson of the champion Las Vegas Aces.
Wilson’s Powerful Message to Clark ‘Let’s Not Lose the History’
Wilson has been a winner throughout her career, starting with her time at College with South Carolina where she won the National Championship in 2017. However, her achievements this year are truly outstanding. She became the first player, in either WNBA or NBA history, to win a championship and be named Finals MVP, League MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, which cemented her award as TIME Athlete of the Year.
In her interview with TIME Magazine, Wilson addressed the comments Clark made last year about the league being “built on them (Black women).” Wilson said: “It wasn’t a hit at me, because I’m going to do me regardless. I’m going to win this MVP, I’ll win a gold medal, y’all can’t shake my résumé.“
She then shifted her focus to a broader concern: the league should not erase the history of the players who built the foundation for this current, incredibly successful era. “It was more so, let’s not lose the recipe. Let’s not lose the history. It was erased for a minute. And I don’t like that. Because we have tons of women that have been through the grimiest of grimy things to get the league where it is today,” Wilson stated.
Wilson has a point, but Clark is, and will be, a pivotal figure in the WNBA. The ongoing discussions with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for a new CBA agreement are largely fueled by Clark’s popularity and the substantial TV revenue expected for the league in the coming years.
The Depth of Talent Driving WNBA Growth
This season made it clear that Clark is not the only public draw in the WNBA. Although she only played in 13 games, the depth of talent throughout the league is unprecedented. Players like Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, Wilson herself, Sabrina Ionescu, Aliyah Boston, Brittney Griner, and Sophie Cunningham, among many others, serve as inspirations for young athletes currently in the NCAA who will be joining the league in a matter of months.
Of course, the immediate future depends heavily on how the CBA negotiations unfold, as there is a possibility that the season might not start on time, despite the many months remaining until tip-off.
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