The 30th WNBA season is back after a historic All-Star Game in Chicago that drew up to 3.2 million viewers, becoming the second-most-watched ASG in league history just behind the 2024 edition (3.44 million viewers).
The common denominator for the two most-watched games occurring in two of the last three seasons is the presence of Caitlin Clark, given that 2024 marked her historic rookie season, and even last year, when she did not participate despite earning the most fan votes in WNBA history, the broadcast still comfortably surpassed two million viewers.
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Before Clark arrived in the league in 2024, All-Star Game viewership rarely reached one million, but with Clark on the floor, massive ratings have become the standard.
Now, the entire league’s focus shifts toward the final stretch of the regular season, with each of the 15 teams having fewer than 18 games remaining on their schedule before the campaign concludes on September 24.
Caitlin Clark Enters Dangerous Territory with a Looming WNBA Suspension
In the Eastern Conference, the hottest team returning from the All-Star break is the Indiana Fever, who enter the resumption of play riding a four-game winning streak, trailing only the Valkyries for the longest active streak in the league at eight wins.
They are propelled by Caitlin Clark, who is in the midst of the finest campaign of her professional career, averaging 21.5 points per game (ranking third in the league) and 7.9 assists per game (ranking second in the league).
However, the star guard picked up her seventh technical foul in her final outing before the break during a dominant 123-88 victory against Connecticut Sun, leaving her just one infraction away from an automatic suspension.
After engaging in a heated verbal exchange with Saniya Rivers, both players were assessed technical fouls, and the league confirmed it will not rescind Clark’s penalty.
She must now walk a tightrope to avoid a costly one-game suspension and $1,500 fine. Under WNBA rules, players are fined $500 for their first three technical fouls of the season and $1,000 for numbers four through seven.
Should she draw an eighth technical foul, every subsequent pair of techs (the 10th, 12th, and so on) triggers an automatic one-game suspension. Knowing her fierce competitive fire, Fever head coach Stephanie White will need to manage the situation carefully, especially with Indiana eyeing the top spot in the East and a top-three seed across the entire league.
The Fever already picked up where they left off coming out of the break, securing a 105-95 victory over last-place Seattle behind a masterclass from Clark, who poured in 32 points and 7 assists in one of her most brilliant performances of the year.
Expectations are through the roof for Indiana this season, particularly after they came within just one game of reaching the WNBA Finals last year despite playing without an injured Clark for almost all of the stretch. The Fever look to build on that momentum when they return to the court on Friday to face Portland.