Caitlin Clark sends WNBA All-Star ratings soaring as 3-point contest audience falls without her

The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game on ABC drew a massive 3.2 million viewers, marking the second-most-watched broadcast in the league's history. This peak performance represents a 44% surge from last year when Caitlin Clark remained on the sidelines due to injury. The data suggests that fans are tuning in specifically to watch Clark perform on the court rather than simply appearing at events.

Conversely, the league's 3-Point Contest faced a different reality. The event, which took place on Friday without Clark in the lineup, saw an 11% decline in viewership. The broadcast averaged 1.17 million viewers, dropping from the 1.318 million who watched the competition last year. Despite the decline, these figures remain high relative to the league's historical standards for non-game events.

ESPN highlighted the massive success of the Saturday All-Star Game, promoting the 3.3 million peak and the strong pregame audience figures. The network did not include the Friday night 3-Point Contest numbers in its promotional graphics. The performance gap between the two nights illustrates the strong influence Clark maintains over league interest.

While critics suggest the WNBA growth story is broader than a single player, the viewing data shows a clear divide. League events featuring Clark as an active player consistently command larger audiences than those where she serves only as a spectator. The 2026 All-Star weekend serves as the most recent example of this trend in professional basketball.