I think that if we take a page out of what Venus and Serena did with tennis, the matchups they participated in created the interest. Venus bumping into Irina Spirlea in one of her matches really got people hyped up, wanting to see more of a confrontation. It was competitive. Same with Serena, she was kicking Martina Hingis's butt drew attention to her in her early years, and grew her fan base.
The WNBA needs personalities to be marketed, in order to draw more fans. When they first flew out the gate, they had begun right after the '96 Olympics, when all of the players names were still fresh on everyone's mind.
Magic v. Bird, Dr. J, MJ, they need someone to make some noise, someone the league can get behind, drawing attention to the sport.
They do have an uphill battle though. The demo they cater toward, is always shifting.