CHICAGO — Amid the WNBA’s polarizing cultural discourse, the league continues to attract more eyeballs.
The WNBA All-Star Game drew 3.2 million viewers on ABC, making it the second-most-viewed WNBA All-Star Game ever and up 44% from last year. The game peaked at 3.3 million viewers, ESPN said.
The all-time high was 3.44 million in 2024, the All-Star game debut of the lauded 2024 rookie class that featured Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
Last year’s game drew 2.19 million viewers on ABC, previously the second-most-watched WNBA All-Star Game, was down 36% from the previous year. Clark missed the 2025 All-Star game, which the Fever hosted at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, after sustaining a groin injury just days before All-Star weekend.
But this year’s showcase appeared poised to bring back strong numbers. Clark was healthy, and received the second-most fan votes behind Paige Bueckers. The league has continued to deliver strong viewership and attendance numbers all season.
The All-Star game drew 19,783 to a sold out United Center, home of the NBA’s Bulls and NHL’s Blackhawks, which is also the largest capacity NBA arena. It was a WNBA All-Star game attendance record.
The demand for the game was also at record highs. The final get-in ticket price for the All-Star Game was $364, more than five times last year’s price of $71, according to TicketData.
However, the WNBA may soon face issues that have plagued All-Star showcases in other major sports leagues.
The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game was the last truly competitive All-Star showcase, as the league pitted a team full of WNBA All-Stars against Team USA, a tune-up game before the 2024 Summer Olympics that started a week later. But there was little defense played last year when the two teams scored a record 282 points, and it was only a notch better this year when the teams combined to drop 251.
After the game, players said part of the reason for their lackluster effort was the tight turnaround between the All-Star Weekend and the regular season restart.
“It’s a tough turnaround, and the Fever probably have one of the quickest turnarounds,” Clark said after Saturday’s game. “We played on Wednesday, and I’m going home tonight and I’m flying to Seattle tomorrow.”
New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart said that players are “trying to find the right balance of rest, recovery, and joy, have fun, but also being competitive.”
