'Rightfully so': Paolo Banchero graciously praises Caitlin Clark despite whopping national TV game disparity
Caitlin Clark has swept the WNBA by storm, if not with her performances, then with her crowd-drawing powers. The former Iowa superstar has reset viewing records almost everywhere she has been. Clark’s final game for the Hawkeyes in the NCAA women’s championship crushed viewership ratings when it recorded 18.9 million views. ESPN said that it was the most-watched game regardless of league since 2019.
Clark’s popularity is even more on display in the pro ranks. The Indiana Fever picked her No. 1 and things have drastically changed since her arrival. Indiana is scheduled to appear on national TV in 36-of-40 regular season games, just one game ahead of the two-time defending champ Las Vegas Aces.
Caitlin Clark has been on nationally televised games three times already this season, something that a fan pointed out on X, formerly Twitter:
“Caitlin Clark already has more games on ESPN than Paolo Banchero lmao”
The Orlando Magic star didn’t even offer resistance and humbly responded:
“rightfully so! my time coming”
Banchero, the No. 1 pick in 2022 by the Orlando Magic, eventually won rookie of the year. His first regular season game on national TV was in February this year against the OKC Thunder. He was supposed to appear in such a telecast in his rookie year but it was canceled when Chet Holmgren injured his foot in the offseason.
Had the Orlando Magic failed to reach the postseason, Paolo Banchero’s national TV appearances may have been still incredibly limited. The former Duke star’s performance in the playoffs showed that he is worth featuring on nationally televised games. They were a quarter away from advancing to the semis before losing in seven games to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Caitlin Clark will continue to be in the spotlight as the WNBA season moves on
Paolo Banchero may be catching some of the action in the WNBA after the Orlando Magic’s first-round exit. He will unquestionably notice how arenas are filled every time the Indiana Fever is in action. The trend will not likely change as long as Caitlin Clark is healthy.
Clark’s much-ballyhooed rookie year has gotten off to a rough start. The Fever are 0-4 and have shown stretches where they have been overwhelmed by opponents. Indiana came close to a breakthrough on Monday but could not hold on as the Connecticut Sun eked out an 88-84 win.
Basketball fans will be even more interested to see how Caitlin Clark will do due to the uneven start. Most will continue to watch when she will grab her first WNBA win. The circus will even grow to a bigger hoopla if Clark and the Fever can turn things around.