LeBron James Shouts Out “Icons” Of NCAAW Tournament

Women’s college basketball — along with several other women’s sports — is finally beginning to get the attention it’s long deserved.

This became especially evident during the Elite Eight matchups earlier this week. Millions tuned in to watch Caitlin Clark and Iowa take on Angel Reese and defending champion LSU, before staying to watch JuJu Watkins and USC go up against Paige Bueckers and UConn.

Iowa-LSU drew 12.3 million viewers as Clark and the Hawkeyes defeated LSU 94-87 to advance to the Final Four. This viewership made the game the most watched women’s college basketball game on record, showing how fast the sport is gaining in popularity and crossover appeal.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James credits the star power of the sport for its great viewership. The NBA doesn’t require players to accrue multiple years of college basketball experience before becoming draft-eligible, but the WNBA does. According to James, this helps the star female athletes and their programs build their reputation and bring in a fan base.

“I think the popularity comes in is the icons that they have in the women’s game,” James said, via the Lakers on X. “You look at Angel Reese, JuJu [Watkins], Caitlin Clark, Paige [Bueckers], the young girl at Iowa State, the freshman there [Audi Crooks], [Cameron] Brink, [Hannah Hidalgo] because they’re not able to go to the NBA, you’re able to build a real iconic legacy at a program and that’s what we all love about it … that’s what makes the Final Four and the Elite Eight so great. Iowa was a great team, but Caitlin Clark was the reason we tuned in.”

Thanks to these stars, tons of viewers are expected to tune in to the Final Four on Friday. It also doesn’t help to have other superstars, like James, vocalize their support for these athletes. The games are headlined by a star-studded matchup in Clark taking on Bueckers.