The 2025 WNBA season is underway, and once again, all eyes are on Indiana Fever superstar guard Caitlin Clark. Even though she recently suffered a quad injury that will hold her out for two weeks, Clark is still the biggest name in the league, and according to a recent prediction, her presence alone could help power the WNBA to a massive financial milestone amid their continued growth.
Clark starred for the Fever as a rookie in 2024, earning an All-Star selection, a spot on the All-WNBA team, and the Rookie of the Year Award. In the process, she drew in millions of new fans for the league, resulting in some truly massive financial leaps forward. However, according to one college finance professor, Clark’s impact on the financial success of the league could only just be getting started.
Caitlin Clark Could Help WNBA Earn $1 Billion
Prior to entering the WNBA, Clark amassed a massive fanbase during her time in college with the Iowa Hawkeyes. With her lights out shooting, Clark helped Iowa make deep runs in March Madness several times, although she ultimately was unable to win a championship before departing for the pros. Once she left, she was unsurprisingly selected by Indiana with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft.
Clark faced heightened expectations after entering the league, but that did not matter, as she immediately asserted herself as one of the best players in the game. The former Hawkeye averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 41.7% from the field, which helped her earn the collection of accolades mentioned earlier.
While she is not alone in helping the WNBA grow, Clark is the engine that is powering the league forward, and she’s only in her second season. According to Ryan Brewer, an associate professor of finance at Indiana University Columbus, he believes that when factoring in the WNBA’s overall growth, along with Clark’s continued impact, the league could bring in a whopping $1 billion this season.
“If things just go as they were, and we have an expanded season of 22 home games with modest inflation, I’m looking at $875 [million],” Brewer told NBC News. “And I could easily see that eclipsing a billion dollars on the economic impact of Caitlin Clark this year.”
Fever Hoping Caitlin Clark can Make Quick Return from Injury
Getty Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever will miss two weeks with a left quad injury.
While she’s only played in four games, Clark picked up right where she left off early on with the Fever. In those contests, Clark averaged 19 points, 9.3 assists, and six rebounds per game, helping Indiana pick up a pair of victories. While the team managed to make it to the playoffs last year, they were quickly bounced by the Connecticut Sun, so the hope is that Clark and a revamped roster can help them improve in 2025.
However, Clark is now going to miss two weeks with a quad injury, which has dealt Indiana an unexpected blow in the new campaign. Clark will be back, but in the meantime, the team will have to find a way to replace her massive impact. The Fever will be back in action against the Washington Mystics on Wednesday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post WNBA Gets Hit with Massive $1 Billion Caitlin Clark Prediction appeared first on Heavy Sports.