THE lack of Caitlin Clark in the WNBA All-Star game was devastating for ratings.
Average viewership for this year’s WNBA All-Star game plummeted from last year’s.
The WNBA All-Star game lost viewership due to Caitlin Clark not playing[/caption]
Clark was forced to sit out of the All-Star game due to her injuries[/caption]
Clark was also forced to sit out the entirety of All-Star weekend due to injuries she has picked up in the first half of the season.
“I’m so excited for Indy to host WNBA All-Star this weekend,” Clark said before the festivities.
“I want to thank the Indianapolis Host Committee and all of the people that have put endless work in over the past year to put this event together. I know this will be the best All-Star yet.
“I am incredibly sad and disappointed to say I can’t participate in the 3-Point Contest or the All-Star Game. I have to rest my body.
“I will still be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for all the action and I’m looking forward to helping Sandy coach our team to a win.
“Can’t wait to see you all out there!”
Without her, many fans decided not to tune into the All-Star game this year.
Last year, an average of 3.44 million people tuned in for the WNBA All-Star game.
This year, that number fell by 36 percent down to 2.19 million viewers on ABC.
While the numbers were way down, the 2025 All-Star game should still be considered a huge success.
Over two million viewers is still more than double what the All-Star game got in 2023.
The year before Clark was drafted, the game averaged 850,000 viewers.
On top of this, regular season WNBA games are still thriving.
ESPN just aired its fifth-most viewed regular season game ever.
WNBA 2025 All-Star Roster
Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier have been named captains of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game.
Guards:
- Paige Bueckers* – Dallas Wings
- Caitlin Clark* – Indiana Fever
- Sabrina Ionescu* – New York Liberty
- Allisha Gray* – Atlanta Dream
- Kelsey Mitchell – Indiana Fever
- Skylar Diggins – Seattle Storm
- Kelsey Plum – Los Angeles Sparks
- Brittany Sykes – Washington Mystics
- Natasha Cloud – New York Liberty
- Jackie Young – Las Vegas Aces
Frontcourt:
- Napheesa Collier* – Minnesota Lynx
- A’ja Wilson* – Las Vegas Aces
- Breanna Stewart* – New York Liberty
- Aliyah Boston* – Indiana Fever
- Nneka Ogwumike* – Seattle Storm
- Satou Sabally* – Phoenix Mercury
- Angel Reese – Chicago Sky
- Kiki Iriafen – Washington Mystics
- Gabby Williams – Seattle Storm
- Alyssa Thomas – Phoenix Mercury
*Voted as a starter
The July 15 matchup between the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun averaged 1.7 million viewers.
That is almost 50 percent more than last season’s average.
WNBA countdown, ESPN’s pregame show, averaged 431,000 viewers, up 29 percent from last year’s average viewership.
WNBA viewership has grown by 10 percent across all ESPN platforms.
