Caitlin Clark‘s highly anticipated return to the court after 222 days was nothing short of spectacular, as she lit up Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa on May 4. The Indiana Fever star, who skipped the Unrivaled league to focus on rest after a grueling rookie season, came back in style, leading her team to a 108-44 rout over the Brazil National Team in a preseason game.
The venue, where Clark’s legendary college career with the Iowa Hawkeyes began, buzzed with energy, and her performance delivered a historic moment for fans and the WNBA.
The game drew an astonishing 1.3 million viewers on ESPN, a figure that outshone all but two of ESPN’s 57 NBA preseason broadcasts since 2010, according to ESPN’s Flora Kelly. Ben Pickman from No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show put the numbers into perspective, noting, “The average for nationally televised NBA games on ABC, ESPN, and TNT in the regular season was 1.53 million viewers. The Fever-Brazil preseason game? 1.3 million.”
He added that while the WNBA shouldn’t always be compared to the NBA, the close viewership gap is telling, especially since the NBA’s 2024-25 regular season averaged just 1.53 million viewers, a 2% dip from the previous year’s 1.56 million.
WNBA outshines NBA Preseason
Clark’s impact, often dubbed the “Caitlin Clark effect,” continues to reshape women’s basketball. The WNBA’s 2024 season averaged 1.2 million viewers across its regular season, playoffs, and Finals on ESPN platforms-a staggering 155% jump from 2023. Meanwhile, the NBA’s overall viewership, including NBA TV, dropped to 1.04 million, a 5% decline from 1.09 million the prior season. These trends suggest the WNBA’s rising popularity, driven by Clark, could challenge the NBA’s dominance, giving Commissioner Adam Silver something to ponder.
The packed Carver-Hawkeye crowd witnessed a classic Clark performance, capped by a 36-foot three-pointer from the exact spot where her No. 22 logo now sits-a nod to her 2024 NCAA women’s scoring record set as an Iowa senior. “I don’t know if I shoot 36-footers every day, but 30-plus for sure,” Clark told ESPN with a laugh, describing the spontaneous shot as a “spur-of-the-moment thing.” Her return not only broke viewership records but also reaffirmed her transformative influence on the game, setting the stage for an exciting new WNBA season.
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