The US Olympic woman's basketball team may have a lot
of young girls in central Illinois watching it.
Even though two of their favorite players aren't on the
roster.
They credit those NBA WNBA rookies with being big influences
on their young games.
When Kristen Gillespie and ISU played Iowa in the NCAA
Tournament two years ago,
she knew something was different.
Walking into that NCAA tournament game with 15,000 people sold
out for a first round game,
you knew there was something special brewing.
That's because Caitlin Clark was on the floor.
She and others are helping change women's basketball.
For years, if you asked a young female basketball player
who their favorite player was,
they might say Michael Jordan,
Steph Curry, LeBron.
But now those answers are changing in a big way.
Who's your favorite basketball player?
Probably Caitlin Park. Who's your favorite player?
Who's your favorite player? Angel,
Reese or Caitlin?
Young girls in Central Illinois basketball camps this summer are
caught up in WNBA fever.
They say they're watching more women's basketball than they ever
have in the past because of players like Clark and
Reese.
I feel like Peyton Clark,
a lot of people like her.
But Angel Reese, she's very tough on the on the
court.
I first started watching her when I was probably in
second grade watching her on Iowa and now seeing her
on WNBA.
Makes me want to go on to WNBA.
Think what what Caitlyn Clark has done,
what Angel Reese has done.
I know for for our team,
for the little girls. How cool is it just to
have young people to look up to?
And hey, now it's not I want to be LeBron
James when I grow up.
I want to be Angel Reese.
I want to be Caitlin Clark.
This week, the WNBA announcing that Caitlyn Clark and Angel
Reese are the top two players in league merchandise sales
this season.