Andy Lyons/Getty Images Iowa's Caitlin Clark shoots the ball against LSU in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Tournament on April 01, 2024.
It is no longer hyperbole to suggest that Caitlin Clark is one of the biggest box office draws in sports. The Iowa star’s Elite Eight game against LSU on April 1 attracted 12.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched women’s college basketball game ever. The game also secured higher viewership than all non-Stephen Curry NBA Finals since 2015 and every MLB, NHL and MLS game in 2023.
Iowa-LSU’s average 12.3 million viewers are more than:
• Every women’s college basketball game ever
• Every ESPN college basketball game ever
• Every MLB game last season
• Every NHL game last season
• Every MLS game last season
• Every NBA game last season except one
•…
Last night’s Iowa vs LSU game had 12.3M viewers, via @TheAthletic…
That’s higher than the average viewership of all non-Steph Curry NBA Finals since 2015 🤯
2023 NBA Finals – 11.64M
2021 NBA Finals – 9.94M
2020 NBA Finals – 7.45M
A big part of Clark’s attraction is her long-range shooting. As Curry has proven in the NBA, even casual fans make it a point to watch Warriors games (or at least highlights) hoping to see Curry pull up from 30 feet. And they’re rarely ever disappointed.
Clark is similarly converting a lot of non-basketball fans into basketball fans, not to mention changing the perception of the women’s game. That’s why when the 22-year-old shot nine threes against LSU, the first response from most onlookers was a simple, ‘That’s one of the best shooters in the world.’
Nobody brought up her gender or the defenses she was up against. Everybody just appreciated the purity of her jump shot. Clark’s exploits have also caught the attention of many of her peers in the NBA who have routinely lavished praise upon her game.
Luka Doncic Floored by Caitlin Clark
Among them is Luka Doncic, who feels Clark is a better shooter than him. The Dallas Mavericks star made the big statement after watching Clark do her thing against LSU.
“That’s a woman Steph Curry,” Doncic said of Clark on April 2. “She can shoot it better than me, that’s for sure.”
Doncic says he watched part of the Iowa-LSU women’s game last night. Asked whether Caitlin Clark reminds him of him, he smiled and said she’s more like Steph Curry. “She shoots it better than me, that’s for sure.
That’s high praise from one of the leading candidates to win the 2023-24 NBA MVP award and one of the league’s best long-range shooters. With 262 made threes this season (as of April 3), Doncic is behind only Curry in the list of three-pointers made.
Clark Vs. Curry Coming Soon?
Following the success of the three-point shooting contest pitting the NBA’s Curry against WNBA’s Sabrina Ionescu, the NBA is reportedly planning to bring back an intergender event for the 2025 All-Star game festivities. However, this time around, Curry won’t be going one-on-one with a female sharpshooter.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, there are tentative plans in place for Curry to team up with his Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, to square off against Ionescu and Clark in a two-on-two contest next year.
“At this point Stephen Curry versus Sabrina Ionescu is very likely for next year,” Charania said on the April 2 edition of “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV. “Next year’s All-Star weekend will be in the Bay Area, and I’m told that with Caitlin Clark and potentially Klay Thompson to make it 2v2… Those are conversations that are going to continue in the coming months.”
“At this point Stephen Curry versus Sabrina Ionescu is very likely for next year…I’m told with Caitlin Clark and potentially Klay Thompson to make it 2v2.”
@ShamsCharania updates on next years #NBA All Star
📺: t.co/wdT8I0ST8g
Interestingly, Ionescu proposed the exact idea after her incredible performance against Curry in which she shot a score of 24, matching Damian Lillard’s winning tally in the regular 2024 3-point contest.
Clark, much like Ionescu, will have the opportunity to shatter gender barriers by shooting the lights out at the 2025 NBA All-Star weekend. She will also get a chance to validate Doncic’s tall claim about her being a better shooter than him.