Iowa+guard+Caitlin+Clark+smiles+at+fans+during+a+season+celebration+to+honor+the+Iowa+women%E2%80%99s+basketball+team%E2%80%99s+historic+run+in+the+NCAA+tournament+at+Carver-Hawkeye+Arena+in+Iowa+City%2C+Iowa%2C+on+Wednesday%2C+April+10%2C+2024.+No.+1+South+Carolina+defeated+No.+1+Iowa%2C+87-75%2C+during+an+NCAA+Championship+game+at+Rocket+Mortgage+FieldHouse+in+Cleveland%2C+Ohio%2C+on+Sunday%2C+April+7%2C+2024.+The+Gamecocks+finished+the+season+undefeated+with+38+wins.+The+game+marks+Iowa%E2%80%99s+second+straight+runner-up+finish+for+the+title.

The 2024 WNBA Draft drew a staggering 2.45 million viewers on ESPN during its Monday night airing, smashing the previous record set twenty years ago.

Featuring the selection of Iowa’s standout point guard Caitlin Clark as the top pick by the Indiana Fever, this year’s draft attracted nearly five times the audience of last year’s event.

The prior record was established two decades back when Diana Taurasi, hailing from UConn, was chosen by the Phoenix Mercury, drawing in 601,000 viewers.

Following Clark’s selection, Stanford’s Cameron Brink was drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Sparks, with South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso following closely behind as the third pick for the Chicago Sky.

Additionally, LSU’s Angel Reese was chosen by the Sky with the seventh overall pick.

Clark has been involved in three of the most-watched women’s basketball games in history. The 2024 NCAA National Championship game between Iowa and South Carolina set a new record with 18.7 million viewers.

The other two notable matchups were also part of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Firstly, Iowa’s revenge win over LSU in the Elite Eight attracted 12.3 million viewers. Subsequently, Iowa’s clash with UConn to secure a spot in the NCAA National Championship garnered 14.2 million viewers.