Fever coach Stephanie White wholeheartedly credits Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and $233,468 star as “generational talents” - “My mind was blown"

Fever coach Stephanie White hailed Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Indiana's $233,468 star, Aliyah Boston, as "generational talents" during an appearance on the "Sports Media with Richard Deitsch" show. White took a deep dive into why women's college basketball and the WNBA saw a significant rise in ratings since prospects like Clark, Reese and Boston came to the fore compared to former legends who laid the foundation for women's basketball.

The discussion was around the 1999 women's NCAA final between Purdue, represented by White as a player, and Duke. The host, Richard Deitsch, pointed out that the game had a massive viewership of 5.1 million views. However, those numbers were never matched again for years until 2024, when Caitlin Clark's Iowa took on Dawn Staley's South Carolina in the title game, which amassed a record 18.7 million viewers.

White gave her perspective on the rise of women's basketball between then and now and how generational players like Clark, Angel Reese and Aliyah Boston played a role in it.

"My mind was blown. You know, there's a part of me that was like, you know thank you, finally right?" White said. " Like we know this product has been an incredible product. There have been so many, you know, deserving teams and players and it has finally happened."

White said she was blown away by how quickly the tide turned from an average of five million viewers to nearly 19 million in one year. She explained why that may have been the case, adding:

"The intersection of all the things, right, and needle movers, or needles ... Certainly with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, the intersection of social media and their, engagement in social media with fan bases, you know, continue to help the popularity of not just them as players, but our sport grow."

Stephanie White also gave the modern-day players their flowers for the talent and skill they have, which wasn't probably at this level years ago. That improved the game's pace and made it more 'fan-friendly' in White's eyes. She also cited COVID as one of the catalysts that made fans watch the WNBA, probably for the first time, and become fans of the league.

White addressed that the ultimate change came with Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Aliyah Boston's college fanbases carrying over to the WNBA, which didn't happen before.

"Then you have generational talent like Caitlin Clark, like Angel Reese, like Aliyah Boston that come into this league," White said. "And for the first we had seen fan bases in masses carry over from college to the WNBA."

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese's introduction was the ultimate game-changer for a growing league like WNBA. With the college rivals coming into the league, the WNBA posted record viewership numbers across the board.

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Fever Coach Stephanie White 'blessed' as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese bump women's basketball's viewership

Fever coach Stephanie White gets to be a part of history as Caitlin Clark's second HC in the WNBA. The former WNBA player isn't taking this moment lightly. White understands the magnitude of what Clark and Angel Reese are doing for the league, and she feels "blessed" to be part of this.

White added that she feels it's a "movement" and not just a "moment." The Fever coach considers this the foundation for continued growth and is confident the WNBA is not returning to its dull days.

White could play an even more significant role in elevating this motion over the next few years by leading Caitlin Clark and the Fever to a championship. The team has a bright future ahead with her at the helm and an excellent core around Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, who could potentially win a title this year, too.