The WNBA draft recently welcomed new talents like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese to the league, showcasing the continued growth of women’s sports, particularly women’s basketball. The 2024 draft shattered records with a record-breaking 2.45 million viewers tuning in to watch the Indiana Fever select Caitlin Clark as the first overall pick.
The success of the 2024 WNBA draft highlights the growing popularity and interest in women’s basketball, as viewership numbers continue to climb and showcase the incredible talent entering the league. Prior to the 2024 draft, the previous record for viewership was in 2004 when Diana Taurasi was selected first overall by the Phoenix Mercury, attracting 600,000 viewers. The 2023 draft drew in 512,000 viewers, while Rickea Jackson considered it a “generational class” by player standards.
The draft marked a significant increase in interest in women’s basketball following the historic NCAA championship game earlier in the month that saw a record 18.7 million viewers as Kamilla Cardoso and South Carolina Gamecocks defeated Caitlin Clark and Iowa Hawkeyes in what is now known as the most-watched women’s basketball game ever. The last significant viewership numbers for WNBA were seen in 2003 during a game between New York Liberty and Houston Comets.
Overall, these viewership numbers demonstrate how far we have come since then and how much progress has been made towards promoting gender equality through sports