Caitlin Clark’s comeback game breaks WNBA viewership records, becomes one of the most watched match

Caitlin Clark made a huge return for the Indiana Fever on 15 June after missing five games because of an injury. Her presence was immediately felt both on the court and in the viewership numbers. She registered a 32-point performance against the New York Liberty and helped the game become the third-most-watched WNBA game ever aired on ABC.

According to reports, a total of 2.2 million average viewers were recorded during the game, with a peak of 2.8 million. The average is 76 percent more than previous season. During her injury break, the WNBA reportedly saw a dip in viewership and data showed that national broadcasts dropped to 55 percent. The Indiana Fever’s own games lost 53 percent of their national audience due to Clark’s absence.

‘Caitlin drives ratings’

Clark was on fire in her comeback match as she scored 32 points, with 25 of them coming before halftime. She made seven three-pointers, including three back-to-back in just 38 seconds. Clark had been missing from Fever’s squad for the past five games before she made a brilliant return to hand Liberty their first defeat in 9 matches.

“It means a lot more people are paying attention once again, We know how much Caitlin drives ratings. We know how much Caitlin drives attention on the WNBA. For her to come back and do it in that way was just ridiculous. I’m sitting there at the end of the first quarter when she had that 38-second stretch where she drained deep three after deep three after deep three," former WNBA star Rebecca Lobo said on First Take.

Clark and the Indiana Fever will next face the Seattle Storm on Wednesday at Climate Pledge Arena, the latter’s home. Fever are currently seventh in the combined 2025 WNBA points table, while Liberty are ranked second. The first-ranked side is the Minnesota Lynx from the Western Conference set.

2025 WNBA points table

Eastern Conference

Western Conference