Retired U.S. women’s national team star Megan Rapinoe reflected on the rise in visibility the WNBA is poised to capitalize on as Caitlin Clark begins her rookie season, crediting her rise with the foundation laid by the women’s basketball stars who came before her.
“Being at the Final Four was incredible,” Rapinoe said Tuesday at the Business of Women’s Sports Summit in New York. “It felt like it was what the game deserved and what I think fans of women’s sports really deserved and I think in a huge part, it’s because Caitlin is standing on the shoulders of Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore and the Dawn Staleys and Lisa Leslies — everybody.”
The two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner noted another pivotal moment in the history of women’s basketball — the 2002 NCAA women’s championship game in which the University of Connecticut beat Oklahoma. Nearly 30,000 people attended the final at San Antonio’s Alamodome, while more than five million tuned in to watch future WNBA star — and Rapinoe’s fiancée — Sue Bird win the national title. Bird went on to become one of the most recognizable names in the women’s basketball league, which Rapinoe argued laid a strong foundation for women’s sports.
“The…
