Clark shoots a free throw during a preseason game against the Dallas Wings on May 3 in Arlington, Texas. “She’s so much bigger than just basketball,” says a WNBA investor. 

The WNBA is enjoying a banner year. Ratings are up, attendance is booming and the league is enjoying more press than ever thanks to a star-studded rookie class.

Caitlin Clark has generated many headlines this season, and deservedly so, but she’s not the only reason the WNBA is thriving.

Here are 10 other players who have defined the first half of the 2024 season.

1. Angel Reese | Chicago Sky

Like Clark, Reese entered her rookie season as a bona fide star after a stellar collegiate career. She’s embraced the villain role and she’s never afraid to speak her mind. Despite all the talk, though, she’s getting it done on the floor. Reese is averaging a double-double at 13.2 points and 11.1 rebounds, which ranks second in the league. As of Tuesday, Reese’s eight consecutive double-doubles broke the WNBA rookie record and put her four behind Candace Parker’s record of 12.

2. A’ja Wilson | Las Vegas Aces

Wilson is the best player in the league and she’s proving it once again. The two-time MVP is averaging a league-high 27.8 points and 11.6 rebounds and is shooting over 52 percent from the field. Her play also landed her a Nike signature shoe, making her the fourth active player to have a signature shoe. A new shoe and a third MVP is a pretty solid year.

3. Breanna Stewart | New York Liberty

It’s business as usual for the 2023 MVP. Stewart has finished in the top three in MVP voting each of the last five seasons and she’s headed in that direction again. Together with Sabrina Ionescu, Stewart has led New York to a league-best 15-3 record. Her three-point shooting has been an issue this season, but she’s started to come around. Through the first 14 games she was shooting just 17 percent from deep, but in the last four games she’s hit 9-of-18.

4. Arike Ogunbowale | Dallas Wings

Ogunbowale is a three-time All-Star, and 2024 is turning out to be a career year. She’s averaging career bests in points (23.9), rebounds (4.7), assists (4.8) and steals (2.7). Her play put her in a position where her Olympics snub felt preposterous. Though Dallas is just 3-13, Ogunbowale is worth tuning in for.

5. Cameron Brink | Los Angeles Sparks

Brink came in as a heralded rookie from Stanford and sadly her year has been cut short due to an Achilles injury. While she hadn’t put up the gaudy numbers of Clark or Reese, she still ranks third in blocks per game and had shown flashes of brilliance.

6. Napheesa Collier | Minnesota Lynx

Collier is another player turning in a career year. She’s averaging a double-double of 20.9 points and 10.4 rebounds, which are both fourth in the league. She’s led the Lynx to a 13-3 record, which is the best in the Western Conference. More importantly, she’s guided Minnesota to a 4-1 record against the West’s next-best teams, Seattle and Las Vegas.

7. Kahleah Copper | Phoenix Mercury

From a scoring perspective, Copper’s career continues to rise. She’s pouring in a career-best 22.6 points per game, up four points from last year. Copper poured in 38 and 37 points in back-to-back games early in the year and she’s knocked down at least three three-pointers in 10 of 16 games.

8. Sabrina Ionescu | New York Liberty

The do-it-all guard is averaging a career-best 19.3 points per game and shooting at a career-best clip of 43.8 percent. The Liberty seem to go as Ionescu goes. In the team’s 15 wins, she’s shooting nearly 46 percent, but in the team’s three losses, she’s only shooting 35 percent.

9. Alyssa Thomas | Connecticut Sun

Thomas is a triple-double threat every time she takes the floor. Nicknamed The Engine, she’s led the Sun to a 9-0 record to start the season and a 13-3 record overall. She has seven double-doubles and one triple-double on the season with averages of 12.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game.

10. Chennedy Carter | Chicago Sky

While the world spent a week belly-aching about Carter’s hard foul on Caitlin Clark during the Sky’s June 1 loss at Indiana, Carter has proved to be much more than a single highlight. She’s a leading candidate for the league’s Sixth Player of the Year Award. She’s averaging 14.3 points per game and ranks fifth in the league in field-goal percentage at 55.3 percent.