INDIANAPOLIS – While Caitlin Clark’s debut didn’t quite go the way she wanted, plenty of people were watching.
The former Iowa star scored 20 points but committed 10 turnovers in her regular-season WNBA debut on Tuesday night. The Fever lost 92-71 to the Connecticut Sun.
Fans were curious to see how the Fever star would do. ESPN said 2.1 million people tuned in, drawing the highest ratings ever for a WNBA game broadcast on the cable sports network. The previous record viewership was 1.43 million for a 2004 ESPN game marking the debut of Diana Taurasi for the Phoenix Mercury.
Clark’s debut was carried on ESPN, ESPN+ and Disney+. Viewership peaked at 2.3 million.
Overall, it was the most-watched WNBA game since 2001, when the NBC broadcast of a Los Angeles Sparks-Houston Comets game drew 2.45 million viewers.
Clark’s ascension as one of the top players in women’s basketball has been a boon for the college and pro game. The Iowa-South Carolina national championship game drew a record 18.7 million viewers on ESPN in April and the WNBA Draft boasted record numbers.
Clark will make her home regular-season debut on Thursday night as Indiana hosts the New York Liberty. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse; the game will air on Amazon Prime Video and locally on WTHR.