Caitlin Clark And Paige Bueckers Put NBA On Notice With Rising Trading Card Value And Jersey Sales
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 24: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever dribbles in front of ... More Cameron Brink #22 and Rickea Jackson #2 of the Los Angeles Sparks during a 78-73 Fever win at Crypto.com Arena on May 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by)
Women's basketball is experiencing new waves of growth in commercial appeal. From trading cards that now command premium prices to Caitlin Clark claiming 2nd place among both NBA and WNBA player jersey sale totals, women athletes are continuing to capture both the attention and wallets of sports fans. These surges in consumer interest also signal promising opportunities for women athletes as collegiate sport continues its growth in the world of NIL.
The collectibles market is witnessing a historic shift as WNBA trading cards are garnering higher prices than NBA counterparts. When Panini released its 2024 Prizm set for the WNBA in February 2025, hobby boxes were selling for approximately $1,200 each which was significantly higher than the $800 presale price for the 2024-25 NBA Prizm set releasing just days later. This 50% premium for women's basketball cards represents a dramatic reversal in the sports memorabilia market.
Caitlin Clark is leading the way in this market shift as PSA, the industry's leading authentication and grading service, is reporting that Clark alone accounts for over 105,000 graded cards since the start of the 2024 WNBA season. To put this into perspective, fellow 2024 WNBA rookie Angel Reese comes in second place with 7,200 graded cards and the 2025 WNBA top draft pick Paige Bueckers sits at 6,400.
PSA recorded a 62% increase in graded WNBA cards in March 2025 compared to May 2024, indicating sustained growth in collector interest. Clark's individual impact continues to expand, with PSA grading three times more of her cards in March 2025 (12,400) than in March 2024 (4,200). In December 2024, a one-of-a-kind Panini Select WNBA gold vinyl card featuring Clark sold at auction for $234,850, setting new records for both Clark memorabilia and women's basketball cards as a whole. This price point rivals many high-end NBA cards, confirming that collectors now view elite women's basketball cards as premium assets. Overall, the financial implications are striking when compared to historical pricing. The 2023 WNBA Prizm hobby boxes had a suggested retail price of $150, meaning the 2024 boxes represent a 700% increase in just one year.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 23: Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky drives with the basketball in the ... More first half against NaLyssa Smith #1 of the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena on June 23, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by)
The commercial impact of women's basketball extends beyond trading cards into merchandise, with jersey sales providing another clear indicator of the sport's growing popularity. According to data from Fanatics, Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever jersey ranked as the second best-selling basketball jersey across both the WNBA and NBA in 2024, trailing only Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry. Clark's sales outpaced NBA stars LeBron James, Luka Dončić, Anthony Edwards, and Jayson Tatum who all maintain substantial international followings and multiple years of established fan bases. For a rookie in a league that has traditionally received less media coverage to achieve such commercial success represents a significant shift in consumer behavior.
By the 2024 WNBA All-Star break, player-specific merchandise sales had increased by 1,000% compared to the previous year. While Clark led this surge, she wasn't alone in driving consumer interest. Fellow rookie Angel Reese secured the second-highest merchandise sales in the league. The 2025 rookie class appears ready to continue this upward trajectory. Paige Bueckers, who was recently selected first overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft, brings her own significant commercial appeal. Her Wings jersey is already generating significant sales, suggesting the potential for an ongoing rivalry with Clark not just on the court but in the merchandise marketplace as well.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 14: Paige Bueckers is interviewed after being selected first overall by ... More the Dallas Wings during the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed on April 14, 2025 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo)
The growth in trading card values and jersey sales also carries significant implications for the broader business of women's sports. Most immediately, it should positively influence NIL valuations for women athletes at both the collegiate and professional levels as companies are taking note of these trends. For example, card companies are now creating "instant" collections for newly drafted players. Following the 2025 WNBA Draft, Panini released limited edition cards featuring top picks in their new WNBA uniforms, priced from $9.99 and up depending on the variation. This immediate monetization of player likeness represents a new revenue stream for athletes entering the league.
The surge in consumer interest has also corresponded with increased viewership. The 2025 WNBA Draft was the second-highest viewed draft in league history, averaging 1.25 million viewers on ESPN, trailing only the 2024 draft featuring Clark and Reese, which drew 2.45 million viewers. During the 2024 season, the WNBA averaged 657,000 viewers per game, with 22 games surpassing one million viewers across various networks. Further, according to StubHub, ticket sales increased by 93% from 2023 to 2024.
These metrics suggest that the value increase in collectibles and merchandise is not merely speculative but instead reflects genuine growth in the popularity of women's basketball. For investors in the sports collectibles market, women's basketball now represents a legitimate asset class with substantial growth potential. For the players, the increased commercial interest translates directly into increased earning potential through endorsements, licensing, and merchandise sales.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
33 minutes ago
- USA Today
LeBron James on critics saying he doesn't have scoring skills
LeBron James on critics saying he doesn't have scoring skills LeBron James became the NBA's all-time leading scorer two seasons ago when he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February 2023 during a game between his Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Since then, he has surpassed 40,000 points, and he currently has 42,184 points for his career during the regular season, as well as 50,473 points in the regular season and playoffs combined. Still, some don't consider him an elite scorer. He isn't quite as skilled as some of the other leading scorers in NBA history, such as Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, and it has even led some to downplay his accomplishment as the all-time leading scorer. According to critics, James doesn't have "a bag," meaning that he doesn't quite have the skill-based moves that other superstars possess. He has indeed always relied heavily on his athleticism and physicality, although he has greatly improved his 3-point shooting over the last two seasons. During a recent episode of his "Mind the Game" podcast, which he co-hosts with Hall of Famer Steve Nash, James reacted to those critics and tried to downplay the importance of having a highly refined skill set (h/t Lakers Nation). 'When I was growing up, it wasn't talked about. The least amount of dribbles to get to where you need to get to was what I grew up watching. Michael Jordan wasn't dribbling 1,000 times to get to his spot and raise. Isiah Thomas, as great of a handle as Isiah Thomas had, Isiah would get to his spot and raise. All these guys that I grew up watching, Grant Hill can get to his spot and bury you. [Glenn] Robinson, I get to my spot and I'm burying you. Allan Houston, all these great players that I grew up watching and admiring, Penny Hardaway. They could dribble the basketball, yes. Tracy McGrady, even as great as Tracy was, it was I'm bigger than you, I'm gonna get to the spot in the least amount of dribbles. Kevin Garnett, just good footwork and getting over the top, if I'm bigger than you and I get you on my shoulder or get you on my hip, I'm gonna use my size. I see it all the time, I be on social media and it's like 'LeBron has no bag.' LeBron has no bag and I'm sitting over there with 50 billion points… Just play the game the right way. And I hope that our younger generation doesn't get swamped by saying OK, I need a bag, I need a bag. Work on your game, know what you're gonna be good at in order to help the team and prove the next year to be a better player. You come in as a guy that's offensive game is not developed, you come in and you defend, you get extra possessions, you get extra rebounders for the guys. OK, then next year you work on your game in the offseason. It's only one or two, three guys maximum that's gonna be handling the [expletive] hold anyways. We don't need you to have a bag. We have the luxury of having three guys with us two and AR, but not many teams have three guys that's gonna be handling the ball like that anyways. You can make $200 million in the NBA if you defend and shoot a corner 3-pointer.' Even at age 40, and even without the same level of scoring skills as some others, James has continued to excel. He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds a game while shooting 51.3% from the field and 37.6% from 3-point range. With Luka Doncic now by his side, one can easily see the game becoming a little easier for him now that he has been playing off the ball more often since Doncic's arrival. Many have wanted James to play off the ball for years in order to lessen his workload and increase his efficiency. No matter how skilled or unskilled one thinks James is, many feel his career scoring mark will never be surpassed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Pacers vs. Thunder: Tyrese Haliburton can't repeat heroics in Game 2 of NBA Finals — 'It feels like there's five guys around'
OKLAHOMA CITY — Perhaps Tyrese Haliburton's limp is nothing. The way he gingerly exited Oklahoma City's Paycom Center was far different than the confident stroll he came into the night with. It could be some WWE-style ploy to get the Oklahoma City Thunder to take him off their 'most wanted' list, to get them to let their guard down just a bit as the scene for the 2025 NBA Finals shifts to Indianapolis after OKC tied the series 1-1 with a 123-107 win in Game 2 on Sunday. Advertisement But by his own admission, Haliburton has had 'two really poor first halves' in the first two games of the Finals. You make up for it by capping off a late comeback with a game-winning jumper that takes the air out of a home building. There was no such elixir Sunday night, though, as the swarming Thunder defense played to its reputation in stymieing Haliburton and, thus, grinding the Pacers' offense to a halt. The stat sheet says Haliburton finished with 17 points and six assists — which is actually a better scoring output than Game 1, but most of those buckets came in the fourth quarter when the Pacers couldn't mount a cursory comeback. The Thunder never sweated in Game 2 because they kept Haliburton feeling the heat, holding him to three points in the first half, as they retook control and set the terms of engagement to tie the series. It's their physical style that kept Haliburton out of the paint and roaming the perimeter, probing and praying for a crack in an impenetrable defense. The paint was off limits in Game 2 and the Pacers were relegated to passing the ball around the perimeter — perhaps paying a bit too much respect to the Thunder's historical defense. Advertisement 'This is who they are defensively,' Haliburton said. 'A lot of guys who can guard the ball fly around.' In the aftermath of a drama-less Thunder win where the most compelling moment of the evening was Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson protesting the Luka Dončić trade by wearing Dončić's sneakers upon being honored with the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, all eyes are naturally headed to Haliburton. Baked into the Thunder's scheme is giving up a lot of 3s, and giving up a lot in the corner, which is technically the easiest shot. But when their big people are flying around to those spots, you're not playing your game — it's actually going right into the Thunder's plans. 'I think you have to choose on getting 3s your way,' Haliburton said. 'We gotta do a better job of getting downhill and just playing from the inside out. You know, they are a team, like you said, it really takes away the paint, does a great job of swarming the ball. It feels like there's five guys around here every time we're in the paint.' Tyrese Haliburton, center, reacts during the second half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) There's an up-and-down nature to Haliburton's production in these playoffs, the sterling moments immediately followed by pseudo-disappearing acts. Or at least an inability to recapture magic two nights later. This isn't a referendum on his stardom or validation to the 'overrated' talk. It just shows how difficult it is to produce on-call. Advertisement Following the wild finish in Game 2 of the semifinals against Cleveland, Haliburton put up a stinker with four points and five assists in a blowout loss at home that temporarily gave the Cavaliers hope. After he painted his Mona Lisa in Game 4 of the East finals against the Knicks — that perfect 32-15-12 game — he followed it up with eight points and six assists in a 111-94 Game 5 loss. This one followed the exact same script, even if Game 1 wasn't a statistical marvel. The Thunder just applied extra attention and Haliburton was content in not forcing the action. 'They're really physical, force the officials to let us play a little bit more,' Haliburton said. 'Gotta do a better job of playing through there.' There was light hinting by the Pacers about the Thunder being given more leeway physically, but nothing close to anything being fine-worthy. Haliburton's words were the strongest on the matter. We haven't reached the 'plant a seed with the officials' stage of the Finals quite yet, although a similar performance in Game 3 could produce some crowing from veteran coach Rick Carlisle. Carlisle wanted to take the spotlight off the 25-year-old point guard and focus on the Pacers' lack of production as a whole. Advertisement 'There's a lot more to the game than just scoring, so everybody's gotta do more,' Carlisle said. 'It starts with the best players, with Tyrese and Pascal [Siakam] and Myles [Turner] and it goes from there. People shouldn't look at his points and assists and judge how he played, or judge how any of our guys played. 'We're an ecosystem that has to function together.' Haliburton is the biggest cog in the ecosystem, but is also the player the Thunder are best equipped to handle with physical play. Lu Dort and Jalen Williams are on the All-Defensive team, and Alex Caruso might as well be — there's no rest or easy matchup for Haliburton to pick at. And with Siakam struggling to create his own offense (3-for-13 shooting), the Pacers' options to get reliable shots dwindle. It sounds simple, but the Pacers do have to screen better to spring Haliburton while he's on the ball. Caruso and Dort navigate screens as well as anyone in the league, so the Pacers have to walk the line of being physical without drawing too much of the ire from the officials. Advertisement 'Screening, there's an art to it,' Turner said. 'You have to be able to set the guy up. It's a matter of timing it and getting on the same page. There's plenty of stuff we can do. But I don't think we did a good enough job of executing.' Haliburton was far more aggressive in the fourth quarter when he played off the ball a lot more, which might be what Carlisle was hinting at when referring to an ecosystem. He's not the point guard who needs to control every possession and it's a gift in not being in the same spot all the time. That's how the Thunder were able to corral Anthony Edwards in the conference finals. They knew exactly where he would be at all times. Advertisement 'We had some success in me playing off the pitch, flying around, rather than that high-ball screen, which I feel I'm really successful at,' Haliburton said. The problem is, the Thunder are excellent at defending that and, by playing smaller, they can switch and chase, matching the speed of the Pacers' offense with some of their own. 'That gives them a chance to load up, pack the paint," Haliburton said. "They got a couple steals in there, I had some really dumb turnovers tonight. They're giving me different looks.' He's not running from accountability or the moment. It's just the moment isn't as easy as it looks and it's doubly hard to repeat such rare feats. Problem is, the Pacers need three more of those rarities just to have a shot.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Skylar Diggins Trolls Mercury During Storm's Win
Skylar Diggins Trolls Mercury During Storm's Win originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Seattle Storm point guard Skylar Diggins was feeling good Saturday night against the Phoenix Mercury, and Diggins had no problem letting her former team know about it. Advertisement Diggins filled the box score with a game-high 26 points, seven assists and four 3-pointers in the third showdown against her former team this season. After making a big shot or an impressive pass Saturday, Diggins routinely danced and made unusual facial expressions in celebration. Behind Diggins' performance, the Storm knocked off the Mercury 89-77. The Mercury won the first matchup against Diggins and the Storm this season. But Seattle has beaten Phoenix in the last two showdowns. Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins had 26 points against her former team.© Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images "Skylar Diggins is feelin' it in Phoenix," wrote ESPNW as a caption in a X post that featured one of the guard's highlights from the game. Advertisement Diggins has scored 20 points in all three matchups versus the Mercury this season. Diggins began her WNBA career as the No. 3 overall pick for the Tulsa Shock in the 2013 draft. In her fourth season, the Shock moved to become the Dallas Wings. After six seasons with the Shock/Wings, Diggins didn't play in 2019 due to maternity leave. Then from 2020-22, she played three seasons for the Mercury. After another year off because of maternity leave, Diggins returned in 2024, but this time for the Storm. In three campaigns with the Mercury, Diggins made the All-Star team twice. She also earned first-team All-WNBA nominations twice and a spot on second-team All-WNBA once. Advertisement The guard has made the All-Star team six times in her career. Through nine games this season, Diggins is averaging 17.8 points, 6.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds per contest. Related: WNBA Rookie Injured Minutes After Making Pro Debut This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
