There’s no arguing that Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark had an enormously beneficial impact on the WNBA during her inaugural season.
This season, Clark and the Fever have broken various attendance records, including average (17,036) and total (340,715), as well as television ratings and product sales.
Three teams – the Atlanta Dream (431%), Washington Mystics (311%) and Minnesota Lynx (131%) – saw a 100% or greater increase in their games against Clark’s Fever than they did in all their other games, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.
Five other teams – the Los Angeles Sparks (80%), Seattle Storm (77%), Phoenix Mercury (64%), New York Liberty (44%) and Las Vegas Aces (42%) – saw an increase of over 40% during their games against Clark than all their other games.
Upon seeing those numbers, former NBA Coach of the Year George Karl, who was also a four-time All-Star Game head coach, threw out a bold comparison for Clark’s impact on the WNBA.
“Caitlin Clark may be the Julius Erving of the WNBA,” Karl said. “He had that impact on the ABA then NBA!”
Caitlin Clark may be the Julius Erving of the WNBA. He had that impact on the ABA then NBA! @JuliusErving @abathrowbacks https://t.co/gvXtimLTZV pic.twitter.com/JdxWTlchgs
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) September 21, 2024
While Clark’s star status is equivalent to Erving’s, comparing her to “Dr. J” is a risky approach, while some may agree that she has brought as much attention to the WNBA this season as Erving did in his day.
This season, Clark’s Fever had more home spectators per game than three NBA teams: the Charlotte Hornets (16,448), Memphis Grizzlies (16,631), and Washington Wizards (16,896), as well as three MLB teams: the Oakland A’s (9,843), Miami Marlins (12,959), and Tampa Bay Rays (16,595).
Erving, who made 16 combined All-Star appearances (11 NBA, five ABA) and four MVPs (three ABA, one NBA), was regarded as a must-see player of his era. He is widely regarded as one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time, having been selected to an All-Star game in each of his ABA and NBA seasons.
