Whether you love her or are a hater, you can’t deny if Caitlin Clark keeps doing what she’s doing, she’s probably going to top the WNBA jersey sales charts for years to come as she did in 2024. We know that because Clark’s rookie jersey already broke records.

Her impact isn’t just on the court and in jersey sales, it’s everywhere from social media to merchandise to sold-out arenas. She’s already boosted ticket sales, TV ratings, and even sparked debates that dominate sports talk shows. In a league where visibility matters, Clark isn’t just a player—she’s a marketing engine, and fans are buying in big time. With Clark’s clear talent and massive fanbase she brings with her, it’s hard to imagine any one catching her jersey sales numbers anytime soon.

The Most Popular WNBA Jerseys

But before Clark took over, a handful of WNBA stars dominated the merch game, year after year. Outside of one anomaly in 2014, this top-selling jersey list is full of the WNBA greatest names of all-time including all-timers like Candace Parker, Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Maya Moore, and Elena Delle Donne. Jersey sales aren’t just a signal of early greatness, but they’ve always been a fun (and revealing) way to see who fans are really showing up for. In an era of social gaming and social casino apps, where fans are more connected than ever, what jersey you buy says a lot about who you ride for. Here’s a look back at the best-selling WNBA jerseys of all time and the players who owned the merch spotlight for that season.

As you can see, several stars made appearances on this list multiple times. Stewart led the league in jersey sales twice: once in 2016 with the Seattle Storm and again in 2023 after moving to the New York Liberty. Sabrina Ionescu, another Liberty star, captured the top spot in 2021 despite having a rough rookie season. The Seattle icon Bird, reigned supreme in 2020 towards the of her career, while Delle Donne had a monopoly on the top-selling jersey title from 2017 through 2019, when she was with the Washington Mystics.

College Popularity Carries Into WNBA Jersey Sales

In the league’s history, it seemed that maybe jersey sales relied more on the player’s popularity in college than what they did on the WNBA court. Before Clark, there were several instances where players led the league in jerseys in their first year. Stewart (2016) and Ionescu (2021) led the league in jersey sales after dominant college seasons at UConn and Oregon respectively.

Candace Parker owned the charts for three consecutive years (2008–2010) following her record-setting WNBA debut with the Los Angeles Sparks where she not only won the MVP but the championship as a rookie. Maya Moore also repeated with the top -selling jersey in her rookie year in 2011 and then again in 2012.  After Moore and Parker, Griner had the most-popular selling jersey in her rookie season.

Then there’s the odd case of Shoni Schimmel. No shade on Schimmel – who was an exciting player to watch and represented Native American hoopers – but Schimmel’s popularity wasn’t necessarily due to her productivity. Not only did Shoni lead the league in jersey sales in her rookie season, but she was also voted in as an WNBA all-star starter after averaging just 8.3 points. In her defense, Shoni showed out and won the WNBA all-star MVP in 2014. She would average 7.6 points the next season, get voted into the WNBA All-Star game again, but would soon flame out; lasting just another two years in the league.

But one of the challenges in compiling a complete history of WNBA data is the lack of consistent public data. For example, you’ll see that we weren’t able to find official information available for the top-selling jerseys in 2022 or 2015, reflecting the broader issue of underreporting and limited coverage the league has historically faced.

Did A’ja Wilson Have the Best Selling Jersey in 2022?

While we can’t confirm, A’ja Wilson was likely the player that sold the most jerseys in 2022. Wilson dominated that season; was named the league MVP for the second time (2020), was named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award, won the WNBA championship and was widely regarded as one of the league’s most popular and marketable players in 2022. This inconsistency highlights how far media coverage and league transparency have yet to go, even as fan interest surges.

Yet perhaps the most consistent runner-up in this star-studded group has been Skylar Diggins-Smith. While she didn’t top the chart in any single year, Diggins-Smith frequently landed in the No. 2 (2013, 2014, 2016), especially during her peak years with the Tulsa Shock, Dallas Wings, and later the Phoenix Mercury.  As jersey sales continue to serve as a barometer for player influence, the data offers more than retail insight—it tells a story of stardom, loyalty, and the WNBA’s evolving reach.