After decades of operating in the shadows of its male counterpart, women’s basketball has soared to improbable heights in recent years. From sold-out college arenas to record-breaking television ratings, the sport has surged into the mainstream conversation with notable momentum.
This rise is no accident, though. Generational college stars like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese have become household names, creating a bridge from NCAA dominance to professional relevance. The WNBA has capitalized on that momentum while expanding its teams, footprint, and visibility like never before.
The WNBA is evolving, both in stature and infrastructure. Athletes and celebrities from other sectors have taken notice and expressed their support for the league amid its growing popularity. The game has always had talent, but now it has the spotlight. As we explore the forces driving the WNBA’s growth, one thing becomes clear: the future of women’s basketball is already here.
Inside the Surge of Popularity for Women’s Basketball
The growth of women’s basketball, both in college and the professional ranks, is evident. Women’s sports, in general, have been on the rise over the past few years, with basketball as a driving force.
A recent report from Deloitte, a financial services and consulting firm, projects that basketball will overtake soccer as the top revenue-generating women’s sport globally. The report expects the sport’s revenue to jump from $710 million in 2024 to $1.03 billion in 2025.
A key factor behind this surge is increased access through broadcasting networks. ESPN, ABC, CBS, and Amazon have all expanded their commitments to the women’s game, featuring marquee matchups in prime-time slots and increasing overall exposure.
Even TNT Sports joined the party, inking a multi-year rights deal with Unrivaled, a new women’s 3-on-3 basketball league co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier that debuted this past offseason.
The WNBA drew more than 54 million unique viewers across television networks during the 2024 season, the most in the league’s history. The league also reported that a record 22 regular-season game telecasts averaged at least 1 million viewers.
Naturally, attendance at WNBA games also spiked. The league saw its highest attendance in 22 years (2,353,735) and a 48% jump from the previous season. There were 154 games with sell-out crowds, increasing from just 45 in 2023. The Indiana Fever set a single-season attendance record for a WNBA team with 340,715 fans attending home games.
Those numbers likely can be directly correlated to the arrival of Clark, the 2024 Rookie of the Year and an All-WNBA selection.
The WNBA isn’t a stranger to big names. Let’s put some respect on the likes of Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, and Tamika Catchings. However, the increased visibility, thanks to social media and TV deals, has led to the immense popularity of figures like Clark, Bueckers, and Reese off the court as well. The growth started by making women’s basketball visible, but now, it’s unavoidable.
When compared to the growth of other sports leagues, the upward trajectory of women’s basketball stands out. Traditional men’s leagues like the NHL and MLB have seen flat or declining ratings in some areas, whereas women’s hoops continues to rise. The popularity surge is changing the way stakeholders think about women’s sports as a whole. The ceiling is much higher than many previously thought.
College Basketball’s Role in the Rise
The WNBA’s growth has been nothing short of impressive, but college basketball has been paramount in the sport’s meteoric rise. It has acted as both a spotlight and a springboard for elite talent. Household names like Clark, Reese, Bueckers, and USC’s JuJu Watkins have drawn massive audiences, displaying fans’ willingness to show up for compelling players and narratives.
Games being more accessible than ever before have also helped in elevating these players’ brands and driving the narratives. Big-name coaches like Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, and Kim Mulkey have also become personalities in their own right.
The 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament championship game between South Carolina and Iowa attracted 18.9 million viewers. This marked the first time since 1982, when the first women’s tournament took place, that the women’s final drew more viewers than the men’s (14.8 million viewers). The highly anticipated matchup also outperformed World Series and NBA Finals games.
The tournament did see a dip in viewership during the 2024-25 season. The championship game between UConn and South Carolina drew 8.5 million viewers and peaked at 9.8 million, according to ESPN Press Room. Still, it was the third most-watched tournament final, behind 2024 and 2023 (LSU vs. Iowa).
Historically, college basketball has allowed fans to develop an attachment to players over several seasons. The continuity isn’t quite the same in today’s world of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal. But with institutions investing more into NIL opportunities, facilities, and marketing, they’ve been able to recruit more elite talent and generate more buzz.
NIL, specifically, has changed the entire landscape of college sports. The rules have allowed women’s college basketball players to gain visibility, sign endorsement deals, and build their personal brands while still in school. It’s been so lucrative for some players that they choose to exhaust any extra college eligibility instead of leaving for the WNBA, where the average salary was $147,745 in 2024.
The incentives have allowed schools to retain talent and fans to continue to build a relationship that carries over when players eventually go pro.
Potential WNBA Expansion Plans
The WNBA was founded in 1996, and there have been three expansion teams since 2000. The Chicago Sky (2006), the Atlanta Dream (2008), and the Golden State Valkyries (2025). Expansion teams have historically started off slow because of the smaller number of teams compared to other professional sports leagues. That has led to a significantly less robust talent pool for these new franchises to pick from.
The Sky and the Dream each won less than 15% of their games during their inaugural seasons. Expectations are also fairly low for the Valkyries, despite them splitting their first two games of the 2025 season.
The WNBA is slated to add two more expansion teams for the 2026 season — the Toronto Tempo and a team to be named out of Portland, Ore. That would bring the number of teams to 15 heading into 2026. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has stated that she would like the league to add a 16th squad by 2028.
Detroit; Nashville, Tenn.; Philadelphia; Houston; Cleveland; Milwaukee, Wis.; Kansas City; St. Louis; Austin, Texas — there are plenty of cities that have either put in bids or expressed interest in hosting a WNBA expansion team. Notable names who have joined ownership groups in those respective efforts include Peyton Manning, Patrick Mahomes, Jayson Tatum, and WNBA legend Candace Parker.
Expansion wouldn’t be possible without increased excitement and proven results. There’s a clear appetite for women’s basketball, proving the theory that the sport hasn’t been underwhelming, but instead, underserved. From March Madness to the WNBA to Unrivaled, the growth opportunities are abundant, and the foundation is in place to turn what was a moment into a lasting legacy.