Caitlin Clark Matchup Most Viewed Game of Diana Taurasi's Career
The "Caitlin Clark Effect" continues to effect everything when it comes to the WNBA, with a game featuring the Indiana Fever once again delivering huge ratings. Indiana's contest against the Phoenix Mercury and Diana Taurasi averaged 1.93 million viewers on ESPN, marking the fourth-largest WNBA audience since Memorial Day 2001.
All of the top four have featured Clark and the Fever. The game peaked at 2.7 million viewers and the overall number was good enough to make it the most watched ever in the career of the legendary Taurasi, surpassing her debut way back in 2004. With only her appearances in the Olympics drawing bigger audiences since.
This Sunday's Fever vs Mercury game (Caitlin Clark vs Diana Taurasi) was the most watched game of Taurasi's #WNBA career, averaging 1.93 million viewers
— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) July 2, 2024
The passing of the torch pic.twitter.com/PysmXLrSHi
The meeting was filled with memorable moments and Diana effusively praised Caitlin following the Fever win, a gesture that felt significant in what has been a whirlwind of a season. Clark received a rousing ovation on the road and earned the respect of the woman once voted WNBA GOAT.
A standing ovation from the Phoenix crowd as Caitlin Clark walks off following her near triple-double performance 🙌#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/9CIjDEsQUs
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 30, 2024
"She's put the work in. Even throughout her short career, it's been a lot of pressure, a lot of things thrown at her and she keeps showing up and she keeps getting better every single game. So her future is super bright."
Clark's future may be bright but her present continues to be played under the bright lights, with record ratings and attendance becoming a constant in her rookie season. Which is a big reason Taurasi paying respects was noticed by so many, with a great of the game acknowledging what is glaringly apparent...that Clark and the league will continue growing together.
ROBIN LUNDBERG
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!