In her first two seasons in the WNBA, Caitlin Clark has taken the league by storm, setting numerous records as a rookie and earning All-Star nods in each of her first two seasons. While many might consider her the face of the league, given her superstardom, a media company co-founded by Kevin Durant has a differing opinion.
Heading into the 2026 WNBA season, Boardroom, a media company founded by Kevin Durant and his longtime manager, Rich Kleiman, ranked the five most marketable players in the league. Many might have assumed that Clark would top the list, given how she seems to have been the catalyst for the league’s massive growth the past couple of years. However, they would be wrong.
Not only was Clark not first on the list, but she actually wasn’t even second. Boardroom ranked the reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson as the most marketable player in the league, followed by Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers, who is headed into her second season in the WNBA after she was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Clark came in at No. 3 on the list, above her longtime rival Angel Reese at No. 4 and Sabrina Ionescu at No. 5. Boardroom did not offer any sort of metric or methodology for the ranking.
Obviously, this list led to some strong reactions on social media as the consensus from fans seemed to be that both Clark and Reese should be ahead of Wilson and Bueckers.
“This list is laughable. Aja is definitely the best player in the league but she’s not close to the most marketable. She’s 4th at best. Just look at actual endorsement deals. We all know that CC is by far the most marketable and angel. Reese is definitely above Aja. I mean this list is meaningless, but at least be honest,” one fan wrote in response to the list.
“The literal reason the league has what they have now is Caitlin Clark and pretending that’s not accurate is embarrassing. If this is marketing, there’s only one player really moving the needle in that league,” someone else added.
“Caitlin Clark is the most marketable player that the WNBA has ever seen in the 30 years of its existence… The fact that she is No. 3 on this list is very telling of why the WNBA didn’t see a profit before Caitlin was drafted in to the league..It’s not shade, it’s just the truth…” another fan added.
“I love the W and defend it most of the time, but holy hell sometimes the people around it say/do dumb stuff. Caitlin is the defining player in WNBA history, there will never be a player more marketable or impactful. We don’t need to pretend that’s not true,” someone else wrote.
While the fan opinion is clear and loud, others in the media seemed to disagree, as well.
Last month, Covers released its own marketability ranking, which was explicitly data-driven and much more in line with the fan consensus, putting Clark at the top, followed by Reese.
“Caitlin Clark ranks No. 1 overall, leading the league in search demand, brand power, and on-court visibility,” Covers wrote in their own marketability rankings. “Backed by partnerships with Nike, Gatorade, and State Farm, she sits in a tier of her own commercially.
“On the court, she’s the league’s biggest draw. High usage, viral highlights, and sold-out arenas have made her the WNBA’s primary driver of attention — a reality now reflected in scheduling, with all 44 Indiana Fever games set to be nationally televised or streamed this season,” Covers continued. “That level of visibility is already shaping award markets as well, with Clark emerging as the early favorite in MVP odds this season.”
She may not be the best or most consistent player in the league – Wilson has more than earned that title – but it’s pretty difficult to deny that Clark has emerged as the most marketable.
Now, Clark has all the attention this season as she returns from an injury that sidelined her for most of last season. We’ll have to see whether or not she is able to make the most of it and cement herself as the face of the league.
About Dave Kelsey
Bets on sports stuff.