Caitlin Clark vs. Ionescu, Liberty Draws 2.2M Viewers in Fever Star's Injury Return

Caitlin Clark's return from injury led to one of the most-watched WNBA games in the league's history on ESPN and ABC.

An average of 2.2 million viewers tuned in to watch Clark and the Indiana Fever take on the New York Liberty on Saturday, marking ESPN's third-most-watched WNBA game ever aired on ABC.

Clark posted 32 points to lead the Fever to a 102-88 win over Sabrina Ionescu and the Liberty in her return from a quadriceps injury.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who welcomed Clark back after the win, may have been among the peak of 2.8 million viewers tuning in.

Clark lived up to expectations by shooting 11-for-20 from the field and 7-for-14 from deep while adding eight rebounds and nine assists in 21 minutes on the court.

Her seven three-pointers included three straight in a 38-second span during the first quarter.

The Fever's victory marked the first time the reigning WNBA champion Liberty, which was missing Jonquel Jones to an ankle injury, suffered a loss through 10 games this season.

It also marked the first time the Fever, who have been without Clark for half of the 2025 campaign so far, eclipsed 100 points in a single game.

The Fever looked like a different team with Clark than they did one game prior, when Indiana was held to 58 points in a road loss to the Atlanta Dream. Head coach Stephanie White told reporters after the game she believed her team's lack of "connectedness" led to the blowout loss.

Clark helped fix that problem by adding not just scoring but playmaking in her return. The Fever's difference with and without her on the court could ultimately help make Clark's case to win her first career MVP award this fall.