Analyst: Caitlin Clark Exposes Major Challenge Facing the NBA

The WNBA star's growing popularity highlights the league's struggle to produce the next global basketball icon.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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Sports analyst Nick Wright argued that WNBA player Caitlin Clark is currently a bigger star than many of the NBA's young rising talents, such as Anthony Edwards, Luka Dončić, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Wright believes this exposes a major challenge facing the NBA as it searches for the next face of the league to replace aging superstars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant.

Why it matters

The NBA has long relied on transcendent global superstars to drive interest and popularity in the sport. With its current crop of young stars struggling to match the fame of legends like James and Curry, the league may need to rethink its marketing and development strategies to cultivate the next generation of basketball icons.

The details

According to Wright, while players like Dončić and Edwards are thriving on the court, they have yet to reach the same level of global popularity achieved by Clark, as well as veterans like James, Curry, and Durant. The analyst believes the NBA will now invest heavily in marketing San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama, who was considered the most highly regarded prospect since James, in hopes that he can become the league's next transcendent star.

  • In the 2023-24 season, Wembanyama won the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
  • Wembanyama is currently in his third NBA season and has helped the Spurs to a 38-16 record, good for second place in the Western Conference.

The players

Caitlin Clark

A WNBA phenom who has emerged as a bigger star than many of the NBA's young rising talents, according to analyst Nick Wright.

LeBron James

A 41-year-old NBA legend who is nearing retirement and is considered one of the three most famous basketball players currently.

Stephen Curry

A 37-year-old NBA superstar who is considered one of the three most famous basketball players currently.

Kevin Durant

A 38-year-old NBA superstar who is considered one of the three most famous basketball players currently.

Victor Wembanyama

A highly touted San Antonio Spurs rookie who was considered the most highly regarded basketball prospect since LeBron James in 2003, and the NBA is now heavily investing in marketing him as the league's next transcendent star.

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What they’re saying

“The single most famous basketball player under the age of 35 years old is Caitlin Clark. The three most famous basketball players right now are 41-year-old LeBron James, and then 37 and 38-year-old Steph and KD.”

— Nick Wright, Sports Analyst (ClutchPoints)

“Anthony Edwards, Luka, Jokić, Giannis, those guys have not ascended to that level (of popularity). That is the major issue facing the league.”

— Nick Wright, Sports Analyst (ClutchPoints)

What’s next

The NBA will likely continue to heavily market and promote Victor Wembanyama in hopes that he can become the league's next global superstar and help address the challenge of cultivating the next generation of basketball icons.

The takeaway

Caitlin Clark's rising stardom in the WNBA has exposed a significant challenge facing the NBA, as the league struggles to produce the next generation of basketball players who can match the global popularity of aging legends like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. The NBA's future may hinge on its ability to develop and market the next transcendent superstar, with Victor Wembanyama emerging as the league's best hope.