The WNBA has been around since the late 90s, but after the initial hype died down, the league was sputtering. It’s finally catching heat again in the 2020s. With the entrance of stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Cameron Brink, the league has been televised much more due to a steep rise in popularity. WNBA viewership has more than tripled from 2023 to 2024; so these are the hottest WNBA stars you should know.
A’ja Wilson
If there were ever someone as dominant as Candace Parker in women’s basketball, A’ja Wilson would be the first name to show up. The 2018 No. 1 pick is surely on a run to make sure she’s known as one of the best to ever play the game.
Just looking at Wilson’s history before this season, she’s been able to claim: a WNBA Finals MVP (2023), two regular season MVPs (2020 & 2022), two DPOYs (2022 & 2023), three All-Defensive team selections (2020, 2022 & 2023), four All-WNBA selections (2020-23), and won ROTY in her first season.
Now, Wilson is seeking a three-peat with the Las Vegas Aces and they’d be the first team to do so since the Houston Comets in 1999. Just this year, she’s won an Olympic gold medal, become the first player to reach 1,000 points in a season, and broken Angel Reese’s single-season record for most rebounds. If Wilson and the Aces can keep up their phenomenal play, Vegas may be the best bet for another celebration parade.
Caitlin Clark
Even if you haven’t kept up with NCAA women’s basketball over the past two seasons, you’ve probably heard of Caitlin Clark. Clark is only in her rookie season but has proven herself as a true force of nature in the WNBA.
She was drafted first overall in the 2024 draft by the Indiana Fever. As this year’s No. 1 pick, and after falling short in the women’s March Madness tournament back-to-back years at Iowa, the rookie guard seems to have taken the doubts personally.
After her first four months in the league, Clark’s accolades include: setting the rookie WNBA record for most single-game assists (19), becoming the first rookie to ever record a triple-double (then grabbing a second), and breaking the rookie scoring record (761+).
Angel Reese
The WNBA’s prodigy rookie Clark has some competition in former Lady Tiger and NCAA Champion Angel Reese. The Reese-Clark rivalry goes back to 2022 and although Reese lost to Clark’s Hawkeyes in this year’s March Madness tournament, her championship with LSU was won over Clark in 2023. This rivalry has been one of the biggest highlights of the season so far and I’m sure we’ll get to see more of it in the coming years.
Reese may have fallen behind Clark to No. 7 in the draft, but she’s established herself as the Chicago Sky’s best. Before her season-ending wrist injury, she was the only rookie truly competing with Clark for the ROTY title.
The ‘Bayou Barbie’ balled out in her first four months also stacking up accolades, such as breaking the single-season rookie record for most rebounds (446), most double-doubles by a rookie (23), most consecutive single-season double-doubles (15), and setting the record for most consecutive games with 10+ rebounds (23).
Napheesa Collier
Napheesa Collier is the star of the 2019 draft. While she may not have any championships under her belt, Collier still holds a pretty impressive resumé. With two All-NBA selections, two All-Defensive selections, four All-Star selections, and a ROTY Award; Collier is a WNBA star you should know.
As of writing this, Collier is leading the Minnesota Lynx in points (20.4), rebounds (9.7), and steals (1.9); and she’s in the running to knock A’ja Wilson away from the league’s MVP award this year. Napheesa Collier is a bit of a sleeper agent, as she may not be named too often, but she’s one of the league’s best.
Sabrina Ionescu
Sabrina Ionescu is on the rise as a true star in the WNBA you should know. While she suffered a season-ending injury her rookie year, having only played two games; Ionescu has made a tremendous recovery since.
Boasting two All-WNBA selections, as well as three All-Star selections, had she not gotten injured, it’s very well possible that Ionescu could’ve received the 2020 ROTY award. In her fourth game back, her sixth career game, Ionescu became the fastest player to drop a triple-double. In 2022 she also became the first player to drop a 30-point triple-double. The next year, she broke the record for points in the WNBA Three-Point Contest with 37. This season Ionescu returned to the WNBA courts with an Olympic Gold Medal.
Ionescu continues to up her game every season as she came to hold the second-longest streak of games with a three-pointer made this season. The young star even held her own against Steph Curry in a three-point shootout during this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend; scoring 26 to his 29 points.
Main Image Credit: Instagram via WNBA
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