Caitlin Clark has officially passed the popularity test as far as Bill Simmons is concerned. The sportswriter yesterday declared her the most famous basketball player under 30, eclipsing the entire current NBA roster, including names like Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokić. While it has inspired a heavy debate online, analyst Rachel DeMita agrees with Simmons and has offered another radical take on the situation.

Taking to her YouTube channel, DeMita discusses how where certain factors like fandom, hype, and viewership are concerned, there are perhaps only two NBA names that stand above the WNBA Rookie of the Year – LeBron James and Steph Curry. Then she proceeds to compare CC with another famous NBA name, Victor Wembenyama. “If you were going to set up two different games – say, put them in football stadiums.”

“Put a Caitlin Clark game in a football stadium here and put a Wemby game, whoever it is, whatever player you want to focus on, put them in another football stadium here. And see which football stadium stands out.” For reference, Wembenyama, whose net worth is reported at $10 million, is at No. 1 in the 30-under-30 list.

But DeMita confidently states, “I guarantee you, if you put a Caitlin Clark game in a football stadium in the United States, it will sell out.” She clarifies that she’s not talking about the Indiana Fever guard being skilled enough to play in the NBA – there her stance is clear, that Clark has not entered that conversation yet. But where popularity is concerned, as Simmons also put it, the Iowa sensation is the point that moves the needle in all of basketball.

“Now the NBA has been a global game for many many years. And does Caitlin Clark have that same draw overseas and these random countries, I also think that she might,” DeMita concludes. Given, that women’s basketball or women’s sports in general are nowhere close to what men’s basketball has done globally. But CC has been the catalyst propelling the change and making sports fans across the world view this game differently.

And even the NBA Commissioner agrees.

“Caitlin Clark set the world on fire”: Adam Silver

Caitlin Clark was already a menace in her college days, setting the record for most career points, be it the men’s or women’s game. Her ability to bring more eyes to the sport was unprecedented, so much so that the 2023 NCAA Women’s Final had millions more viewers than the men’s final. The tradition continued on WNBA Draft Day and into the season with the Indiana Fever.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver could see the impact as well, who said, “Caitlin Clark set the world on fire, not just this community. She’s brought so much attention to the entire league. People are seeing how deep this league is, how good the quality of basketball is… It’s wonderful to see.”

A recent post with Silver meeting Clark at a Pacers game went viral online because, amid comments like those of Bill Simmons, there is only one solution. With NBA viewership ratings going down on platforms like ESPN and TNT, perhaps it’s time to utilize the “most famous basketball player” in the other league as well.