Caitlin Clark outshines Bronny James by 12% in latest New York Times popularity index 

WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark topped LA Lakers first-year player Bronny James in the latest New York Times popularity index. She scored 12% more than the son of NBA superstar LeBron James.

The New York Times sent out a facial recognition quiz to its readers, where it showed pictures of 52 different faces for them to recognize correctly. The faces ranged from political figures, artists, actors and athletes who stood out in the year 2024.

Results of the quiz were released on Tuesday with Caitlin Clark recognized by 73% of the subscribers, 12% higher than James, who scored 61%.

Olympic gymnast Simone Biles finished as the most recognizable active athlete among quiz takers with 92%, with recently retired tennis superstar Rafael Nadal (56%) and American swimmer Katie Ledecky (50%) landing in the top 5 for athletes.

Caitlin Clark and Bronny James have been huge draws in basketball this year. Clark soared to superstardom right out of college to the WNBA with her engaging style of play for the Indiana Fever, which has drawn many fans, both old and new.

James, meanwhile, has piqued the interest of fans as he came back from cardiac arrest while with the USC Trojans to being selected in the second round of the NBA draft by the Lakers to join his NBA superstar father LeBron James.

LeBron James finds parallelism in journeys of Caitlin Clark and Bronny James

Apart from being among the recognizable basketball figures right now, Clark and James both have their share of bashers in their basketball journeys. It is something LeBron James moved to highlight in one of the episodes earlier this year of his podcast.

Speaking on the "Mind the Game" podcast, James pointed out how both Clark and Bronny had been recipients of unfair criticisms in one form or another from some quarters as they carve their names in the professional ranks.

"I'm getting the same thing [Clark criticisms] from watching my son, who's a 19-year-old, kind of getting a lot of animosity and hatred towards him when he's just a kid trying to live out his dream," James said.

"You know, there's a very small number of men and women that actually get to live out their dream of playing the professional sport. And we have grown-a** men and women out here doing whatever they can to try to make sure that does not happen. That is the weirdest thing in the world, but it is what it is, and I'm glad Caitlin has a great head on her shoulders," he added.

While Caitlin Clark had a solid rookie season in the WNBA which helped channel renewed interest to the league both from old and new fans, many still found ways to downplay what she was able to do.

But she also has has his share of believers like LeBron James who recognize her standing as a game-changer who should continue to be a boon to women's basketball and women's sports in general.