Amid the WNBA Finals between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx, Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark is still part of the conversation. Especially as the league keeps breaking ceilings when it comes to viewership and attendance. So, it’s not surprising that Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu gave praise to Clark.
“Obviously, Caitlin’s ability to come in transition quickly,” Ionescu said in an interview with Marca. “It’s been great to see how great she’s been in this league… Everyone has had such a huge role. From Angel to Caitlin and Cameron Brink. There’s just so many rookies in this class that have impressed us,” she said.
According to ESPN, the first game of the 2024 WNBA Finals delivered the largest audience in this stage, drawing 1.1 million viewers on average. It was up 54% vs 2023 Finals avg. on ESPN. Per Sports Media Watch, in the past five years, when the Game 1 of the WNBA Finals averaged 238,000 viewers (the lowest ever), viewership has increased in each year since.
However, the “Clark effect” is still undeniable. According to Sports Media Watch, before this season, no WNBA game had averaged more than 1 million viewers since 2008. Meanwhile, Clark’s biggest game averaged 2.3 million viewers (Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky).
Like Clark, Ionescu was the No. 1 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft. The former Oregon Ducks star is now competing in her second consecutive WNBA Finals. During this postseason, Ionescu became just the third player in WNBA history to average 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists while reaching the Finals, joining Breanna Stewart (2020) and Cappie Pondexter (2007).
Liberty-Lynx: How is the series going?
New York Liberty tied the series 1-1 thanks to their 80-66 victory in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals. With the win, New York avoided falling into a 0-2 hole and facing a tough comeback. All 20 teams that have gone down 2-0 in a best-of-five Finals have ended up losing the series.
Upcoming games between Liberty and Lynx
- Liberty vs Lynx – Minneapolis, October 16th
- Liberty vs Lynx – Minneapolis, October 18th
- Lynx vs Liberty – Brooklyn, October 20th