Clark creates buzz, but Aces remain WNBA title favorites
While conversations about the WNBA’s growth may start with Caitlin Clark, the former Iowa Hawkeyes star selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in last month’s draft, any talk about the 2024 championship begins with the star-studded Las Vegas Aces and their quest to three-peat.
The Aces have been dominant on the court the past two seasons, becoming the first team to repeat as WNBA champion since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001-02. They are plus-100 favorites to win it again when the league tips off its 28th season on Tuesday, according to BetMGM. The New York Liberty at plus-230 are the only team close to the two-time reigning champs.
“We have a target on our back. We understand that,” Aces guard Chelsea Gray said. “But I think we understand that what got it done last year isn’t going to get it done this year. No year has ever been the same in winning a championship.”
Led by A’ja Wilson, last season’s WNBA Finals MVP, the Aces are trying to become the second team in league history with three consecutive crowns. The Houston Comets won the first four championships from 1997 to 2000.
Still, the buzz around the league has centered on Clark, along with Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese and the rest of a rookie class that has been talked about more than any other in a decade.
The brands the players built in college have led to sold-out jerseys and arenas, with some games moving to bigger venues to accommodate the demand for more tickets. It also helped get the league to finally have charter flights for road games.
For all the hype about the rookies, how they perform on the court will be key to sustaining the early focus they generated on the league.
Las Vegas is the solid favorite to win it all again, although the Liberty are expected to have something to say about that. New York returns all five starters from last season’s team that lost to the Aces in the WNBA Finals.
New York’s roster was compiled last season through free agency and trades, but now Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart hope to lead the franchise to its first title.
“We know what happened last year, and the fact we didn’t achieve our goal will motivate us, but it’s not what we’re thinking about the entire season,” said Stewart, a two-time MVP for the WNBA Finals and the league’s regular season. “I’m really excited to get things going with a new and old group and build the chemistry. Now that most of us have a year under our belt, what are we going to do bigger on and off the court?”
Meanwhile, other teams created some ripples with moves they hope will make them title contenders.
The Seattle Storm, who built a $60 million practice facility, added Skylar DigginsSmith and Nneka Ogwumike, while the Phoenix Mercury signed Natasha Cloud and Kahleah Copper to a roster with veterans Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi.
The Mercury also have a new coach this season — former longtime NBA assistant Nate Tibbetts — as do the Chicago Sky, who will be led by Teresa Weatherspoon, a star player during the league’s early days. Weatherspoon returns to the WNBA after working with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans since 2019, first as a player development coach and then an assistant starting in 2020 before being released last June.
Shoe money
Wilson is getting a Nike signature shoe.
The deal was announced Saturday before the Aces’ preseason exhibition game against the Puerto Rican national team at the University of South Carolina, where Wilson starred for the Gamecocks from 2014-18 before becoming a No. 1 draft pick.
She posted a photo on social media showing her wearing a sweatshirt saying “Of Course I Have A Shoe Dot Com,” a URL that directed people to Nike’s website with the announcement.
“It’s been incredible working with Nike toward a dream of having my collection, and it really is an honor to take this next step and become a Nike signature athlete,” Wilson said in a news release issued by the sportswear giant. “From my logo to the look of the shoe and the pieces throughout the collection, we’ve worked to make sure every detail is perfectly tuned to my game and style.”
The shoe, which will be called A’One, will hit the market in 2025.
The five-time WNBA AllStar with an Olympic gold medal joins the Liberty’s Ionescu, soccer standout Megan Rapinoe and tennis greats Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams on Nike’s roster of signature athletes. Fever rookie Clark, the alltime leading scorer in NCAA basketball history, reportedly has a new Nike deal valued at $28 million over eight years as well.
“I hope when girls wear this shoe, they believe in themselves,” Wilson said. “I want them to hopefully lace them up, feel powerful and understand that nobody can stop them from their dreams.”
Betting bigger
The betting public are throwing money on Clark and the Fever.
A championship for Indiana, though, would have bookmakers sweating. They are the biggest liability at BetMGM Sportsbook, with nearly half the betting tickets on the Fever, who open the season Tuesday against the host Connecticut Sun.
Indiana is second in money wagered at 29%, behind the Vegas Aces at 41.5%, another popular team for everyday gamblers but one that additionally draws action from many professional bettors.
The heavy money on the Fever caused them to go from +2500 to win the championship to +1800. Las Vegas edged from a +115 favorite to even money.
“Caitlin Clark drove record handle on the women’s NCAA tournament, and the interest from bettors has carried over to the WNBA,” BetMGM Sportsbook trading manager Seamus Magee said. “We expect Fever games to be the most bet throughout the season and for Clark’s player props to be popular with bettors.”
The story is much the same at Caesars Sportsbook.
Indiana, which went 13-27 last season and put the Fever in position to land Clark with the No. 1 overall pick, is tied with the Mercury at Caesars with the fourthbest odds at 15-1. The Aces at +100, the Liberty at +240 and the Storm at +800 are favored to win the title.