2024 WNBA Draft Draws Record 2.4M Viewers Amid Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Hype

The WNBA got its first real taste of the Caitlin Clark bump on Monday night during its 2024 draft broadcast.

According to Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, an average of 2.45 million people tuned in to the event, which smashes the previous viewership record for the draft. The 2004 installment, which was headlined by Diana Taurasi, averaged 601,000 viewers.

Lewis also noted this was the most watched WNBA broadcast since a 2000 game between the New York Liberty and Houston Comets (2.74 million).

Clark, who was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever, wasn't the only notable college star who heard her name called.

Angel Reese gained a sizable following during her two-year run at LSU. Stanford's Cameron Brink is the reigning Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and helped the Cardinal capture their most recent national championship in 2021. Kamilla Cardoso was unstoppable during South Carolina's run to a national title earlier this month, taking home the NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player honor.

But Clark was arguably the biggest driver behind the viewership spike. She and Iowa set the women's tournament viewership record on three separate occasions, and the national championship was the most watched college basketball game ever on an ESPN network.

Women's basketball is enjoying the perfect storm by having a true box-office star in Clark at a time when the sport is garnering more attention than ever.

It's still unclear how much this boom will carry over. The WNBA has historically struggled to build on the longstanding popularity of women's college basketball.

Based on the early returns, the 2024 season is shaping up to be a huge one for the league.