Caitlin Clark's final college game was watched by 18.7 million people

Iowa Hawkeyes player Caitlin Clark’s star power has propelled TV ratings to heights not even achieved by LeBron James and the NBA over the past five years.

Sunday’s NCAA women’s Championship game became the most-watched basketball contest on US TV since 2019.

Clark’s remarkable college career concluded on a disappointing note as the South Carolina Gamecocks defeated her Iowa Hawkeyes 87-75 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The game aired on ABC and ESPN, garnering an incredible preliminary audience average of 18.7 million, according to ESPN PR.

Only select NFL games, the Olympics, and the soccer World Cup have garnered better TV ratings over the past five years, the report added.

This makes it the most-watched basketball game since 2019 when Virginia and Texas Tech’s NCAA showdown averaged 19.6 million viewers on CBS.

The last NBA game to attract at least 18 million viewers was Game 6 of the 2019 Finals, featuring the Toronto Raptors against the Golden State Warriors.

“18.7 MILLION,” Clark wrote on X, accompanied by a fire emoji.

“Put some respect in her name. People love watching Caitlin Clark. I hope @WNBA do better job of marketing their star players and they all deserve to get pay more!!!” responded one fan.

“We might witness a WNBA finals getting more views than a NBA finals in our lifetimes,” said another.

Clark declared for the WNBA Draft last month after a remarkable college career.

“I am excited to be entering the 2024 WNBA Draft,” she wrote on X.

“It is impossible to fully express my gratitude to everyone who has supported me during my time at Iowa – my teammates, who made the last four years the best.

“Most importantly, none of this would have been possible without my family and friends who have been by my side through it all. Because of all of you, my dreams came true.”

The Iowa Hawkeyes star has declared for the WNBA and dropped 30 points in the loss to the Gamecocks

Clark passed “Pistol” Pete Maravich’s NCAA points record of 3,667 in March against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

She scored 30 points in the loss to the Gamecocks, concluding her college career with a staggering 3,951 points.

At just 22 years old, she departs the NCAA with an impressive array of solo records.

She holds the active lead in career points, scoring average, 3-pointers per game, career assists, assists per game, field goals made, 3-point attempts, and free throws made per NY1.
Four-time NBA champion LeBron is no stranger to massive TV ratings, with his most-watched game occurring almost a decade ago.

31 million viewers tuned in to witness James’ Cleveland Cavaliers battle the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, per FadeAwayWorld.