REVEALED: Superstar rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese credited massively on huge deal agreement
Superstar rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have been credited with driving the WNBA’s significant rise in popularity. However, neither of their teams—the Indiana Fever or the Chicago Sky—are the league’s most financially powerful.
Instead, the Dallas Wings, despite being tied for last place this season, are the WNBA’s most valuable franchise, valued at $208 million according to a report by Front Office Sports on Monday.
This valuation has reportedly increased by over $100 million following the recent sale of a 1 percent stake in the team for $2.08 million to investors Jed Kaplan and Randy Eisenman, who are businessmen. Greg Bibb, the Wings’ CEO and part-owner, facilitated this sale.
Earlier in June, Sportico had valued the Wings at $75 million, ranking them 11th in the league, while the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, were valued at $140 million, making them the top team.
Currently, the Wings hold a 6-19 record, the same as the Washington Mystics.
“I would say the value of anything is what the market’s willing to pay,” Bibb told Sports Business Journal. “I can make a compelling case for why that $208 million number is justifiable.”
Kaplan is also a minority owner of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, and Eisenman is the founder of a local hedge fund.
Their investment coincides with the Wings experiencing off-court success, including an expected new TV contract and a $19 million incentive from the city of Dallas to relocate in 2026 from their current arena, College Park Center at the University of Texas at Arlington, to a refurbished Memorial Coliseum in downtown Dallas, which has a seating capacity of 8,500 compared to just over 6,000 at College Park Center.
Meanwhile, the WNBA as a whole has seen substantial increases in ratings, merchandise sales, and game attendance in 2024.
The league also secured a new media rights deal in July, reportedly worth around $2.2 billion over 11 years, according to The Athletic.
This deal averages about $200 million annually, approximately four times the WNBA’s current media agreements with Disney, Ion, CBS, and Amazon, which are valued at $50 million annually.
Several records have already been broken this WNBA season, with the league announcing last month that over 400,000 fans attended games in May—the highest number in 26 years. Additionally, the league’s viewership has significantly increased since Clark and Reese entered the league.