Serena Williams has long stood as the gold standard in women’s sports, but now, another superstar is emerging as a record-breaking force in a different arena.
That rising icon is Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever rookie and NCAA record-smasher who has not only reignited interest in women’s basketball but has also eclipsed Williams herself in the high-stakes world of sports memorabilia.
And while most might expect Serena’s camp to take the news with a competitive edge, her husband-Reddit co-founder and investor Alexis Ohanian-is instead leading the applause.
Ohanian, a vocal supporter of women’s sports and a collector of high-value trading cards, has acknowledged that Clark is “a HUGE part” of the exponential growth in women’s basketball, and more broadly, in alternative sports assets.
After previously praising Clark‘s impact on viewership-like when the 2024 NCAA women’s title game outdrew the men’s game by more than 4 million viewers-Ohanian is now turning heads with his bold comparison of Clark’s latest card to some of the most legendary collectibles in sports history.
Clark dethrones Serena with record-breaking rookie card
In 2022, a 2003 NetPro Serena Williams rookie card sold for a then-record $266,400, becoming the most valuable women’s trading card in history. That mark stood for nearly three years-until Clark entered the collectibles arena.
This March, Caitlin Clark‘s 2024 Panini Prizm WNBA Signatures Gold Vinyl rookie card shattered the record by selling for $366,000. That wasn’t even her first moment in the trading card spotlight.
Months earlier, another Clark card had already commanded $234,850, showing that demand for the Iowa legend turned WNBA star wasn’t a one-off spike, but a full-blown trend.
Now, Alexis Ohanian owns what he calls the “second most important Caitlin Clark rookie card in existence”-a 2024 Panini Prizm Gold Vinyl “1 of 1” numbered card (#145). In an Instagram post, Ohanian didn’t hold back on the significance.
“This card shows just how much women’s sports has grown. Like I’ve been telling y’all for the last five years, the hype of Caitlin Clark is trickling into every aspect of social life-including alternative assets,” he said.
Currently up for auction on ALT, the card has already drawn a bid nearing $100,000 ($96,399)-and Ohanian believes it’s just getting started.
“This particular card has the potential to become that iconic card of an era. Think ’52 Mantle or ’86 Jordan,” he added, invoking names tied to sports memorabilia royalty.
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