"Everything we want in our sport": $3.1M NIL valued Caitlin Clark gets a nod from former NBA PG Allen Iverson ahead of March Madness
Former NBA point guard Allen Iverson has expressed his admiration for women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark, who plays for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Clark has made it clear that she intends to enter the WNBA draft after her senior season with the Hawkeyes, making her an immediate No. 1 pick.
As the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament tipped off with Selection Sunday on March 17, followed by the First Four games on March 20, Iverson praised Clark and called her a perfect role model for the sport.
In an interview on “The Robin Lundberg Show,” Iverson said Clark is everything fans and players want in their sport.
“She's everything,” Iverson said Tuesday. “She's everything that we want in our sport. She's the perfect role model for what we want. You know, to hell with if she's a woman or a man or anything like that. It's just who she is. Class act off the court as well, man. It don't get no better.”
Caitlin Clark, valued at $3.1 million NIL per On3, broke LSU great Pete Maravich's long-standing record of 3,667 points, making her the all-time leading scorer in the history of men's and women's Division I basketball.
Not only that, but she has also helped six TV networks reach all-time viewership marks for women's basketball over the past year. The streak started with last season's NCAA championship game that drew almost 10 million viewers.
The 2024 Women's March Madness championship game will take place at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 7.
Caitlin Clark helped boost women's sports economically
According to The New York Times, Caitlin Clark has elevated the economic profile of women’s sports. As an exceptionally talented basketball player, her popularity has increased ticket prices for the games.
Per the report, fans are willing to travel and pay more to watch Clark play. Viewership for women’s basketball has surged, exemplified by the record numbers tuning in to watch Clark’s performances. This trend coincides with increased media rights deals and corporate sponsorships for women’s sports.
This growth is reflected in a recent Deloitte report, which projects over $1 billion in global revenue for women’s sports in 2024, a significant leap from previous years.
The basketball star's influence extends beyond the court, as her decision to enter the WNBA draft has already impacted ticket prices for the Indiana Fever, the team expected to draft Clark.
Also Read: "They got one chance to cash in on Caitlin Clark": Jason Whitlock spills beans on what could make women's March Madness successful in 2024