No one can deny that the WNBA is one of the most popular sports leagues today, and the numbers prove it. Not only has the viewership of its regular-season games grown exponentially, but its draft is now one of the most-watched among the major professional leagues in the U.S.
On Monday night, April 14, the WNBA held its 29th annual draft, where players like Paige Bueckers, Kiki Iriafen, Sonia Citron, and Hailey Van Lith received the opportunity to take the next step in their careers, now as professional players.
This year’s viewership was considerably lower than last year’s. 1.25 million viewers tuned in to this year’s draft, compared to 2.4 million who watched the 2024 edition when Caitlin Clark led a class that included Angel Reese and Cameron Brink. However, the perspective changes when looking at the numbers from other leagues.
WNBA Draft ratings
2016: 254,000
2017: 273,000
2018: 303,000
2019: 248,000
2020: 378,000
2021: 331,000
2022: 403,000
2023: 572,000
2024: 2,450,000 pic.twitter.com/qqkQbE7TDa? Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) April 16, 2024
The WNBA surpassed the NHL and MLB
The numbers don’t lie. The so-called Clark Effect boosted the WNBA’s popularity to unprecedented levels, from an average of 387,000 viewers per game in 2020 to an average of 1.19 million who tuned in to the league’s games in 2024.
The draft could not be an exception. While the 2025 rating was nearly half that of 2025, it doubled the viewership of the 2024 NHL Draft, which drew 502,000 viewers and surpassed by almost 50% the 863,000 viewers who tuned in for the 2024 MLB Draft. Not bad for the youngest sports league in the U.S.
Every pick from the 2025 WNBA draft pic.twitter.com/e9FJgYvnKr
? ESPN (@espn) April 15, 2025
The future of the WNBA
With Clark, Reese, and Brink entering their second year in the league, waiting to welcome Bueckers, Iriafen, and Van Lith, all indications are that regular-season ratings will continue their upward trend. New rivalries will be unmissable, and fans can expect epic clashes.
The draft can also expect to maintain or exceed this year’s viewership levels. Fans won’t want to miss the start of the careers of players like JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, and Lauren Betts, who headline the future crop of talent.
Paige Bueckers headlined one of the hottest classes in WNBA Draft history.
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