It's been two days, but fans still can't stop talking about the Indiana Fever's preseason game against the Brazilian National Team Sunday, which saw Caitlin Clark return to the court after 222 days away (and hitting a 35-foot 3 point shot with 22 seconds on the clock). The game also put up huge viewership numbers, eclipsing every NBA preseason game except two — that both happened to feature LeBron James.
It's remarkable that Caitlin Clark-LeBron James comparisons are being made so early in the Fever guard's career and so early in the season, but it could be a harbinger of (very exciting) things to come. The Fever's match against Brazil drew in 1.3 million viewers — more than any NBA preseason game since 2018, and more than all but 2 preseason games since 2010. Those two NBA preseason games that pulled in more viewers were in 2017, when James and the Cavaliers faced off against the Bulls, and in 2018, after James joined the Lakers and the team took on the Golden State Warriors.
Indiana Fever preseason games are proving to be lucrative in more ways than one
In addition to pulling in huge ratings numbers, which will make the league and ESPN plenty of cash, the Fever/Brazil game was also attended by 15,000 fans who reportedly paid an average ticket price of anywhere between $440 per seat to $650. That means the game pulled in a massive $6,600,000 to $9,750,000 — just for one preseason game.
This preseason game helped kick off a season that is expected to see huge numbers across the board. In 2024 the WNBA attracted more than 54 million viewers across ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ION and NBA TV and 22 regular-season games were broadcast to at least 1 million viewers. It was the most-viewed regular season in league history and included the top 7 most watched games on ESPN and the top 2 most watched games on ABC. The league also enjoyed record game attendance with an increase of 48% over last year.
Clark has been credited with being a huge factor in that marked increase in viewership and attendance, and it's likely her presence on the court will continue to encourage an increase in the same numbers this season. As we're learning in real time, the Caitlin Clark Effect is alive and well, and is extremely likely to continue throughout 2025.