Caitlin Clark didn’t win Saturday afternoon, but her performance at the Barclays Center set a new WNBA revenue record.
The New York Liberty earned more than $2 million in ticket revenue for their 91-80 victory over the Indiana Fever on Saturday, according to The Associated Press. That’s a league record for a single match.
The game was sold out, meaning more than 17,000 fans came to watch the match. It was the third sold-out game Clark has played so far this season, after selling out their home opener and then playing in front of a sold-out crowd in Connecticut for their season opener.
“That’s incredible,” Liberty star Breanna Stewart said of the ticket revenue, via The Associated Press. “I think the buzz and eyeballs that Caitlin has now brought to the WNBA from Iowa is a collective victory for everyone… When I first started in the league, teams weren’t making revenue… It’s going to be a long time. I’m happy to be at this point now, but not satisfied.”
There were also several big names in attendance at the game, including Billie Jean King, Michell Wie West, Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager.
Clark, who was taken No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft earlier this month, has been breaking viewership records almost consistently. She put up three in a row during the Hawkeyes’ run to the national championship game, where they drew more than 18.7 million viewers in their loss to South Carolina. That was the most-watched basketball game at any level, men’s or women’s, since 2019. The WNBA Draft drew nearly 2.5 million viewers, breaking the previous record of about 600,000.
Then, Clark’s WNBA debut earlier this month drew approximately 2.1 million viewers — making it the most-watched WNBA game on ESPN and ABC in history and the most-watched WNBA game since 2001.
Although the Fever dropped their third straight game on Saturday, Clark had her best game yet. She scored 22 points and had eight assists and six rebounds in Brooklyn while shooting 9 of 17 from the field.
Clark and the Fever host the Sun on Monday night, where they will have a chance to earn their first win of the year. Based on how things have gone so far, expect a sold out crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse once again.
