WNBA sets All-Star record even without Fever's Caitlin Clark

Jeremy Beren

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WNBA sets All-Star record even without Fever's Caitlin Clark image

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

WNBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis encountered twists and turns that the league did not expect.

Three rookies were selected to play in the All-Star Game, while the introduction of the 4-point shot led to a record 282 combined points. Lexie Hull, who has the fourth-highest 3-point percentage in the league, did not reach the finals of the 3-Point Contest, while Natasha Cloud -- who has never played in an All-Star Game -- won the Skills Challenge and more than $50,000.

MORE: WNBA star has plan for $52,575 in cash from All-Star weekend

But no surprise was bigger than Caitlin Clark missing out on the action. A right groin injury ruled out the Indiana Fever star, disappointing the hometown crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The captain of Team Clark did her best to motivate her hand-picked All-Stars, but Team Collier's historic performance made the difference in the end.

However, Clark's absence did not dent viewer interest in All-Star Weekend. Even though Clark did not participate in the 3-Point Contest, Friday's shootout and Skills Challenge garnered 1.3 million viewers on ESPN -- a new All-Star landmark for the league.

Numbers improved even more on Saturday, when 2.2 million average viewers tuned in for the All-Star Game itself -- a 158 percent increase over 2023 viewership.

The viewership revelation proves what many already know: the WNBA is bigger than ever, right as the players' union attempts to secure historic gains in negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement.

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Jeremy Beren

Jeremy Beren is a freelance WNBA writer with The Sporting News. A Phoenix native, he is a graduate of Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and he has a decade’s worth of sports journalism experience. Jeremy's work has appeared in publications such as Marca, SB Nation, Athlon Sports and Vice Sports. He currently lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.