Caitlin Clark is, pretty clearly, the most popular and well-known player in the WNBA right now — and it's hard to imagine that changing over the next five years. She became a national star in college and brought an enormous new audience with her to the WNBA over the past two seasons. That spotlight has come with controversy as well, but it's not surprising that in a recent poll of players conducted by The Athletic, Clark received the most votes to a question about who would be the face of the league in five years.
However, the rest of the results were a little bit more surprising.
WNBA players voted Caitlin Clark as the most likely to be the face of the league in 5 years pic.twitter.com/ZNLlI1h4ti
— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) July 15, 2025
It's not necessarily the names on the list, so much as the order. A'ja Wilson finished fifth — but she's also won three MVPS, two Defensive Player of the Year Awards and two rings. She's already one of the best and most decorated players in league history, and she'll only be 33 years old in five years, likely still at the tail end of her prime.
Angel Reese finished fourth and while her rivalry with Clark and record-setting rebounding numbers have brought plenty of attention, her place in the league's hierarchy is far from established. She's been fantastic for the last eight games, but shot under 40 percent as a rookie and was at just 37.4 percent as recently as June 23.
And then there are the No. 2 and No. 3 slots.
WNBA players are already higher on Juju Watkins than Paige Bueckers
It's not unreasonably to have a higher opinion of Watkins than Bueckers. The latter, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, is having a strong rookie season — averaging 18.3 points, 5.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, already earning an All-Star selection. Watkins though, has been dominant to a degree that very few women's college players can match. Through two college seasons, she's averaged 25.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. She scored 47 more points than Clark did through her first two seasons in college.
There's every reason to think Watkins is a future WNBA star, but it might take longer than people are expecting. She tore her ACL during March Madness last year and may not return until near the end of this upcoming regular season. Watkins should make a full recovery, but this will almost certainly disrupt her timeline. Also, she won't be draft eligible for another two years — taking the poll literally, Watkins would be entering her third WNBA season at the time we're talking about, assuming she doesn't decide to red-shirt this year and stay at USC for four healthy seasons, chasing either a championship or Clark's all-time scoring record.
Watkins has a lot going in her favor, and it wouldn't be shocking if she was one of the best players in the WNBA five years from now. But a lot can happen in five years. Regardless, WNBA players are clearly enamored with her potential and expecting big things.