The WNBA Draft is officially bigger than 2 major men’s sports leagues

New York City – Surrouted Paige Bueckers cameras while she went to the WNBA design on Monday. Bueckers, The Inevitable No. 1 pick in the draft, was already one of Women’s basketball’s biggest names, and fittingly, ESPN projected her instagram following onto the in-annana jumbotron, which showcased She was likemedialy be One of the must of the must of the must of the must of the must of the must of the Athletes in the Wnba.

Fifteen other ladies’ basket ball stars also closed in the barn in Hudson Yards, the slim Manhattan building where the design was held. Fans could buy tickets for the second year in a row and be present. This year, general admission tickets for twice the price, an increase from $ 49 to $ 99.

Among the stars were Hailey of Lith, who was accompanied by TC Cocach Mark Campbell, her parents and her friend, Orlando Magic Guard Jalen Suggs. Kentucky guard Georgia Amore, styled by NBA star Russell Westbrook, sat in the front and in the middle of her family.

The there was Kiki Iriafen, who arrived with her family, all of whom attracted the traditional Nigerian Attirare.

“I wanted to look good, I wanted to feel good,” Iriafen said in her interview after taking off. “This dress was designed by the Nigerian designer Nneka Alexander and I just played to show off my culture on this big stage.”

And it was worthy for Iriafen to wear such a special outfit – the WNBA design of 2025 was a huge stage.

Photo by Steve Eichner/WWD via Getty images

The two -hour program was an average of 1.25 million viewers, the competition announced, the pursuant of every version in the history of WNBA.

No, it was not compared to the WNBA concept of 2024, which Caitlin Clark held last spring. That design saw almost twice the viewers – on average 2.4 million viewers – largely because of the valued popularity of Clark, as well as the countless other big names in the classroom, such as Angel Reese and Cameron Brink.

But 2025 should not Are Part until 2024

Firstly, the design of 2024 came from a record -breaking championship game between LSU and Iowa.

And two, because Clark has already demonstrated, she increases the number of viewers in a way that few others have been able to do.

Six WNBA networks set ratings records last season – and all six paving Games Headlineld by Clark. From the top 15 most watched matches last WNBA season, Clark appeared in 14.

Clark’s last three college matches-a elite 8 matchup against LSU, at the end of four matchup against UConn, and a champion match against South Carolina-Became the three most viewed women’s basketball matches ever.

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

So there are no questions about whether the basketball from women receives huge assessments when Clark is involved.

The question is, what about if she is not?

2025 has already shown an excellent year when it comes to ladies’ basketball reviews-de 2025 NCAA tournaments were the second-guest lord that the tournament for ladies was on record.

And there is soon an eruption, the national championship game between Uconn and South Carolina had two highest viewers since ESPN started wearing the tournament in 1996, PE-ESPN.

The WNBA concept saw more viewers than the NHL, MLB

Inssterad from being merged into the WNBA concept of 2025, viewers numbers with regard to the WNBA concept of 2025 should be compared with other Sport

For example, the NHL design of 2024, on average 502,000 viewers. More than twice as many voted to see how Bueckers and the rest of the prospects come in than Macklin Celebrini and become a class of the NHL.

The first round of the MLB design was on average 863,000 viewers. Baseball – America’s pastime – you have surpassed by women’s basketball, at least when it comes to the design.

Before 2024, the WNBA design never exceeded 601,000 viewers. That number came when Diana Taurasi finished a legendary UConnaRière in 2004.

These recent figures are a huge leap of recent years; According to athletics, the WNBA design attracted 387,000 viewers in 2020. In 2021 it attracted 331,000 viewers and in 2022 it attracted 403,000 viewers.

On Monday, the WNBA concept was the most viewed program on the entire television under Make 18-49, and all adults 18-34. It also surpassed two other large professional sports.

Even recently as five years of August, few more people were able to weigh Tuene in a basketball design for women than the MLB or NHL’s concept – but basketball for ladies you have eats a long way. And the next harvest of stars – USC’s Juju Watkins, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, Lauren Betts from UCLA – indicates that this growth could continue for years.