Fanatics retail data shows Caitlin Clark has passed LeBron James in U.S. jersey sales, even as the WNBA faced backlash for a promotional graphic that left her off a primetime Fever game. Clark’s on-court impact and merchandise momentum have kept driving demand
For a league trying to monetize its own moment, the math has been unusually loud.
Fanatics retail data shows Caitlin Clark is selling so many jerseys that she’s locked down the No. 2 spot for the most basketball jerseys sold in the United States—ahead of global stars like LeBron James. Luka Dončić and Victor Wembanyama. The only player selling more jerseys right now is Golden State’s Stephen Curry.
And the gap that’s getting attention isn’t subtle. A third-year WNBA guard is outselling LeBron James.
This is happening while the WNBA’s marketing messaging has struggled to match what fans are clearly doing with their wallets and phones.
The timing has made it hard to look away. Newly released Fanatics data arrived just days after the league’s social media team sparked backlash with an unusual promotional decision ahead of a highly anticipated Indiana Fever vs. Seattle Storm matchup. The WNBA posted a hype graphic that featured Seattle’s Zia Cooke and Indiana rookie backup guard Raven Johnson. Caitlin Clark was noticeably absent—despite being the player driving record ratings, ticket demand and merchandise sales across the league.
Fans reacted with sharp criticism, arguing the league somehow sidestepped the most popular player in women’s basketball while still trying to promote women’s basketball more broadly.
As the backlash spread, the story didn’t stay in the comments section. There was also a broader question hanging over the situation—why a star who is clearly pulling audiences isn’t being placed front and center when the league markets a primetime event.
The same article that describes the promotional slip points to an analogy from basketball history. OutKick founder Clay Travis said the logic “makes absolutely no sense in the context of sports history. ” adding: “Was Michael Jordan ever not the lead graphic on any Bulls game when he was a member of the team?” Travis also argued that while the WNBA may dismiss the graphic as a small thing. it’s the kind of decision that would never have happened with Jordan during his Bulls run.
Then Clark answered the question on the court.
Hours after being left off the promotional graphic, she torched the Seattle Storm with a 21-point, 10-assist double-double in an 89-78 Fever win. During the same game, Raven Johnson finished scoreless in 17 minutes off the bench.
Even with that context, the bigger point coming from the retail numbers is how customers are behaving regardless of what the marketing team chooses to spotlight.
The coverage notes that Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever are featured in photos tied to the league’s broader attention. including a highlight from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. It also cites a key ticket-selling comparison: Clark sold 90 times more tickets on StubHub this year than in 2023.
Her jersey sales momentum is being framed as part of a larger spike in WNBA consumer interest. The reporting says Clark helped fuel a reported 1,000% surge in WNBA merchandise sales, turned Fever games into national events, and now sits behind only Curry in national jersey sales.
All of it adds up to a pointed contradiction: fans are spending on Clark in huge numbers, but the WNBA’s own marketing graphics have at times treated her like an optional feature instead of the headline.
Whether the league tries to push other stars to the forefront or adjust its strategy going forward, the retail data and the on-court results keep landing the same way.
Until something changes—until Clark is treated as the obvious marketing centerpiece the sales data already confirms—every missed graphic risks looking less like a mistake and more like a choice that’s out of step with what audiences are demanding.
And right now, the numbers are impossible to ignore: Clark is selling more jerseys than LeBron James.
Caitlin Clark Indiana Fever WNBA marketing Fanatics retail data jersey sales LeBron James Stephen Curry Zia Cooke Raven Johnson StubHub tickets