The entire WNBA — and not Caitlin Clark — was the breakout star of the season, CBS “60 Minutes” journalist Jon Wertheim said during Sunday night’s episode.

Breaking down the WNBA’s rise, Wertheim spoke with Clark, her teammate Aliyah Boston, Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for the piece calling the Rookie of the Year “undoubtedly the league’s main attraction, but not the main attraction”. just one.”

“The real breakout star of this WNBA season is the W itself,” Wertheim said. “Building on a college season that was unthinkable just a few years ago, the women’s championship game is surpassing the men’s. W games can attract more attention than NBA games.

“Across the competition, attendance has increased by 48%.”

But it was Clark who set the bar this season and put together perhaps the best rookie season the WNBA has ever seen. Clark didn’t win the MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same seasons as Candace Parker did with the Los Angeles Sparks, but she rewrote the record books several times.

Clark became the first rookie in WNBA history to have at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in a playoff game when she did so in Game 2 of the playoff game against the Connecticut Sun. To be fair, Wertheim interviewed Clark before the playoffs started.

Regardless, she became the first rookie to record a triple-double when she played against the New York Liberty in July. She was also the first player in WNBA history to accomplish the feat against a team ranked first in the standings.

She set a single-game record for assists when she scored 19 against the Dallas Wings. She set the record for assists in a single season with 337 total when the season ended.

Clark set the rookie record for most three-pointers in a single season with 122 – the second most in a single season. She was also the first player in WNBA history to have multiple career games with at least 25 points, 10 assists and five made three-pointers.

These records are just the tip of the iceberg, not to mention the fact that she was unanimously the AP WNBA Rookie of the Year.

In terms of ratings, Clark and the Fever was must-see TV.

Fox Sports’ Michael Mulvihill underlined that point with statistics this month. He wrote on

The breakout star is clear, averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game and finishing fourth in the MVP voting.