FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis addressed the impact of Caitlin Clark and other new young players playing in the World Cup for the first time on the tournament's growth and visibility.
Zagklis, speaking at a press conference before the World Cup Final against France, called Clark one of the biggest stars of her generation and predicted that the popularity of the women's basketball players could surpass the men's at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"I think what these players, Caitlin, one of them, have done in increasing the popularity of the women's game is incredible. We should feel very proud about them. And I can tell you, me and my team have been supportive of what USA Basketball and each and every national member federation coming into the World Cup had planned for their promotion. And we tried to amplify that experience. They themselves, the players said this is a unique moment for them," Zagklis said.
THE PREDOMINANT BASKETBALL DYNASTY ON EARTH IS AT STAKE AS AMERICA'S EYES TURN TO CAITLIN CLARK'S ROLE
"So while I may not be able to quantify the answer and give you exact numbers, but our team perhaps can do that after the tournament, I can tell you that the popularity of our women's game, of Caitlin as one of the biggest stars, not the biggest star of this generation has done. We see this with Iyana Martin from Spain, MVP of the under-19 in 2023. And she signed a big sponsorship agreement herself just with a FIBA partner two days before the tournament.
"So players around the world are picking up these opportunities. And I'm extremely proud of them. And I can tell you, I do believe that in the Los Angeles Olympics, our female players may be at the same or even higher level of popularity than many of our former male players. And this is not a criticism to anybody. It's just a result of the collective growth of the game. And we're proud for both the male and female players that we have to admit have made our sport as global as it is today."
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Clark has become one the biggest storylines of this year's tournament, and has done so without even starting a game.
Clark has come off the bench in each of Team USA's five wins, alongside fellow young stars Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, as coach Kara Lawson has opted to play the veteran starters in all five of the U.S. wins.
Still, Clark has been among the tournament's top performers.
The 24-year-old guard has clocked just over 20 minutes per game, placing her among the team's most utilized players. In those minutes, she has proven to be an elite facilitator, currently ranking third in the entire World Cup with 5.8 assists per game.
Her playmaking was most obvious in the team's opening victory over China, where she immediately accelerated the American offense to the tune of 14 points and a record-setting 11 assists without committing a single turnover.