Caitlin Clark behind Paige Bueckers on Kevin Durant’s marketability ranking — here’s why
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Caitlin Clark behind Paige Bueckers on Kevin Durant’s marketability ranking — here’s why originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Caitlin Clark is a WNBA star, and people love to talk about her. She has been outplaying her rivals for a long time, but new reports show she is still being ranked too low by the media.
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In May 2026, Kevin Durant’s company Boardroom released marketability rankings. They ranked Clark 3. A'ja Wilson took 1. Paige Bueckers took 2. This ranking caused a massive fan backlash.
Fans see how popular Clark is. She has her own Nike shoes and clothes, and all 44 of her games will be on TV this year. Most people buy tickets just to see her play.
Other 2026 metrics disagree with Boardroom. The Covers WNBA Marketability Index ranked Clark 1 with an 83 score. Angel Reese followed at 2 with an 80 score based on search volume.
Angel Reese is a social media machine. She has over 12M followers across Instagram, TikTok, and X. This savvy branding helped her rank 4th on the Boardroom list for the Atlanta Dream.
Clark is used to low rankings. In June 2024, early in her rookie season, ESPN's analytical model placed Caitlin Clark at No. 6 among WNBA rookies.
One media member even voted for Reese to stop Clark from being a unanimous Rookie of the Year. The identity of the voter who chose Angel Reese has not been officially revealed.
In June 2025, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith called Clark a "golden goose" and a "rising tide that's lifting all boats," while also suggesting that she sometimes stirs resentment toward her in the WNBA.
Monica McNutt did directly argue that race and background play a major role in Clark’s popularity.
"I think Caitlin represented — and again, some of this to me probably is not fair to her, because it was not anything that she said or was truly based on her personality — but she was a white girl from the middle of America…,” In an April 2025 interview with BBC News, McNutt explained, “And so she represented a whole lot to many people".
Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington has publicly criticized a segment of Caitlin Clark's fan base, accusing some of her followers of utilizing the rookie's name to perpetrate racism, misogyny, and other forms of abuse.
Despite these heavy claims, Clark remains the face of the Indiana Fever. Her earning capacity continues to rise every single year.
The Boardroom's top five features are A'ja Wilson, Paige Bueckers, Clark, Angel Reese, and Sabrina Ionescu. Even with this ranking, experts say Clark is still the biggest draw in basketball by far. She is a key reason the league continues to grow.
Clark remains the top draw entering the 2026 season. Her impact on media attention is undeniable despite these recent third place rankings.
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