This past weekend, the WNBA put on what would end up as their second-most watched All-Star Game in league history. But the numbers were still down 36% from last season, thanks in large part to the absence of Caitlin Clark and the shift in format for the 2025 version.
WNBA All-Star Game Ratings Down Without Cailtin Clark’s Presence
Clark’s injury and subsequent absence from the weekend’s festivities were certainly a damper in the eyes of the league. The star second-year player has been dealing with injuries all season, and a re-aggravated groin issue forced her to miss the All-Star events. Not only was she held out of the Three Point Contest, but out of the All-Star Game entirely.
The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game drew 2.2 million viewers on ESPN, ABC, and Disney+.
It's the league's second most-watched ever—but down 36% from last year's featuring Caitlin Clark and Team USA. pic.twitter.com/JZv36wnOhY
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) July 22, 2025
The blow was made even tougher by the fact that the game was held in Indianapolis, which is where she plays her home games for the Indiana Fever.
After setting a new WNBA record in viewership last season, the league saw a significant decline in the numbers for 2025.
In 2024, the viewership record was shattered. Last year’s WNBA All-Star Game drew 3.44 million viewers, a massive increase from the previous high of 1.44 million. But that number dropped by 36% in 2025, as it is being reported that 2.2 million people tuned in to ESPN, ABC, and Disney+. It still ranks as the second-most watched All-Star Game in league history, but the decline from one year to the next is hard to ignore.
ESPN, ABC & @DisneyPlus scored historic viewership for the '25 #WNBAAllStar Weekend 👏
Skills Challenge & 3-Point Contest
🏀 1.3M avg. viewersWNBA All-Star Game
🏀 2.2M avg. viewers pic.twitter.com/D4nr20k5Pe— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) July 22, 2025
There may have been other factors along with Clark’s injury. The 2024 version of the contest featured the Team USA roster playing against the rest of the WNBA All-Stars, which proved to be something of a heated battle. Team WNBA ended up winning the game by a score of 117-109, and was deemed a massive success by those in and around the league.
Despite the noticeable drop-off, it is still a sharp increase from where the league was just two years ago. The 2023 WNBA All-Star game didn’t even reach one million viewers, with a reported number of just 850,000 that year.
