WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix draws record number of viewers

The WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix drew a record number of viewers on Saturday, crushing the old mark set 21 years ago.

In all, 3.44 million people watched the game on ABC, topping the previous record of 1.44 million viewers in 2003. That game featured an array of current and future Hall of Fame members, including Dawn Staley, Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie and Sue Bird.

Last year's game, also played in prime time and televised by ABC, drew an audience of 850,000.

Interest in the WNBA and attendance at games have exploded this year, with the addition of a prominent rookie class, including Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, being one of the reasons.

"This weekend's extraordinary viewership underscores women's sports' exponential growth and ESPN is proud to showcase this incredible league and its exceptional athletes on such a grand stage," said Julie Sobieski, ESPN senior vice president of league programming and acquisitions said, per The Athletic.

Sports Media Watch reported the All-Star Game was the most-watched WNBA event since the opening week of play of the league in June 1997. Viewership of the first game in league history hit 5.04 million, with 3.59 million people tuning in the following day.

The Athletic said the All-Star Game was the 17th WNBA game this year with viewership of more than 1 million, with Clark appearing in 15 of those games.

A WNBA game had not delivered more than 1 million viewers in the past 16 years.