Did you know that Game 5 between the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty attracted 2.2 million viewers and peaked at 3.3 million? This became the most-watched W Finals game in 25 years and also the fourth most-watched WNBA Finals game. However, despite the achievement, an ex-Lynx star credits the rookies – Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, who didn’t make it to the final stages of the tournament, as the reason for attracting a large viewership.

On Tuesday’s episode of USA TODAY Sports, Renee Montgomery, who was drafted by the Lynx as the fourth overall pick in 2009, asked if the rookie class truly brought in this impact majorly or if it was just a ‘long-time-coming’ for the league. One can’t deny the pre-league popularity of the rookies she highlights.

“Well, first of all they’re superstars. I think that can’t be overlooked. They’re superstars in every sense of the term. Like imagine they come out of college with all the hype. I mean you got Angel with all of her hype and then you got Caitlin with all of her hype. And then how do they come to the pros and over excel?” Montgomery says. She believes it is hard to translate both the popularity and skills from college to pro, but the rookies did that.

“It’s hard to meet expectations in general and definitely when you go from college to pro it’s even harder to meet expectations. They did all that and above like they played better, they broke records so I think the first thing is that they’re superstars in every sense of the term,” Montgomery stated.

Clark broke record after record, becoming the first rookie to have two triple-doubles and also the highest assists maker in a single season. She would also record most 3 PM by rookie and single-game assist by any other in the league. It resulted in a near-unanimous Rookie of the Year for Clark. And as for the popularity, 20 of 22 of regular season games with over a million viewership belonged to the games Clark featured in.

Plus, the top 14 games in viewership had the Indiana Fever #22 plying her trade in them. However, her rival, Angel Reese, was not behind. She established herself as the double-double queen with the longest streak of 15 and briefly held the record for most rebounds, until her injury forced her to the sidelines. But the Chi-Town Barbie also loudly contributed to merch sales, attendance, and viewership. The Fever vs Sky game at Indiana on July 16 drew 2.25 million viewers, which was the most-watched WNBA game for CBS Sports.

But it was a huge year for the W overall as evident from the Finals game but also in the all-time record of more than 54 million unique viewers that ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ION and NBA TV attracted. So it was, of course, the efforts of the whole league, but the rookie class may just have had a little impact more.

“And then also when you think about Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson, Angel Reese. And all of them, they’re influencers as well… kind of where sports and entertainment is going anyway. So that nucleus built on a WNBA that was already primed to explode. It was like the volcano was over at that point, right?,” Montgomery concluded.

And not only Montgomery but also Cheryl Reeve credited Clark for bringing more audience.

Cheryl Reeve credits Caitlin Clark

Reeve had at one point in time had taken an offense when in May during the preseason, Clark’s debut was streamed and the Minnesota Lynx’s game against the Chicago Sky wasn’t given much importance. However, as the season progressed, Reeve realized the importance of Clark. Therefore, just before the Olympic break, Reeve remarked that it was a watershed moment for the sport and they needed to capitalize on it.

“When Caitlin Clark announced she was going to enter the draft… The wave of enthusiasm that came from a player that wasn’t even going to play for the Lynx. There was a lot of excitement and momentum for the WNBA… the movement that we’re in now is exciting,” Reeve stated after the season was over. The Lynx were projected to earn a revenue of $85 million which is way higher than the revenue they earned last season – $13.1 million.

Clark herself is aware of the growth the W has witnessed. But one thing she wishes out of it, is that the league build on it. “there are real opportunities here,” she says, further adding that expanding on it through more nationally televised games and getting people seats they are vying for could only keep them coming back; helping not just the league but also college programs. ‘Long-time-coming’ or the rookies, the league has the attention, they just need to hold it right.