Record TV ratings and sold-out arenas. Robert Walker has been waiting 25 years for this type of attention to be showered on the WNBA, a league he considers to be the best in the world.
“People that never watched it are starting to see just how good this league is,” the longtime sportsbook professional and women’s basketball enthusiast told Sports Handle. “It’s shocking that people are talking about it in the mainstream.”
Caitlin Clark is who’s got them — media, fans, and opponents alike — talking. Building on the momentum she established while thriving at the University of Iowa, the Indiana Fever rookie’s star power is like nothing the league has ever seen. Aside from some understandable growing pains, Clark has been very good, but Walker senses that her immediate anointment as the face of the league could be tough on some more established players.
That being said, Walker was quick to recall that, before Clark, “there were no followup questions because nobody cared.”
“Caitlin Clark is the reason why [the WNBA is] on ESPN and games are sold out,” he added. “I think it sheds light on other storylines.”
One of these storylines is Clark’s perceived rivalry with fellow rookie bet365 and Reese (who plays for the Chicago Sky) at 6/1.
Turnovers aside, Clark’s counting stats are slightly better than Reese’s, but Walker said, “I think I would take 6/1 on Angel Reese all day long before I laid 10/1 on Caitlin Clark.”
“If you look at the two teams, you could make a case for Reese,” he added. “If Caitlin plays the way she’s playing, she’s getting an amazing amount of assists, but Reese is a generational rebounder. If she gets a little bit better offensive game, more range, she’s phenomenal.”
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While the odds aren’t quite as lopsided as in the Rookie of the Year race, Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson (-290 at FanDuel), who’s taken her game to another level this season, is comfortably favored to win her third Most Valuable Player Award.
But it’s a long season, and with fellow two-time MVP Breanna Stewart lurking at 25/1 and coming on strong for the New York Liberty, well, stranger things have happened. Despite Wilson’s exploits, Las Vegas started slowly with All-Star point guard Chelsea Gray out with an injury and, as Walker said, “It’s Breanna Stewart, for god’s sake.”
“Breanna, on any given day, is the best player in the world,” he added. “Breanna can go on a run. We’ve still got a long way in the season, and what happens during the restart after the Olympics? If A’ja’s the best player on a team that finishes fourth or fifth, I don’t know if that means anything.”
While the 15-3 Liberty boast the best record in the league heading into tonight’s Commissioner’s Cup finale against the surprising Minnesota Lynx (13-3), it’s Wilson’s 8-6 Aces who are consensus +135 favorites to three-peat at season’s end, with New York priced at +190 at FanDuel and +175 at bet365.
“If Vegas stays healthy, they’re the team to beat,” said Walker, who lives in Sin City and attends a ton of games. “The Liberty are so good. They don’t have [Courtney] Vandersloot right now and they haven’t missed a beat. They have a deep bench, but at the end of the day, I think Vegas is the best team.”
