CAITLIN CLARK A RATING SUPERSTAR. 2024 WNBA DRAFT SHATTERS 2004 RECORD

As predicted by everyone and their brother, the Caitlin Clark effect turned its attention to the WNBA Draft and delivered huge ratings for ESPN.

ESPN announced Tuesday that the WNBA draft coverage reached a new milestone with an average of 2.45 million viewers, peaking at 3.09 million. Clark also turned heads by being the first athlete in any sport to be dressed by Prada for a draft.

This audience was more than four times larger than the 2023 draft, which had 572,000 viewers. The previous draft record was 601,000 in 2004 when Diana Taurasi was selected first overall from UConn.

Monday's viewership marked the highest for any WNBA telecast since 2000, when NBC averaged 2.74 million viewers for a Memorial Day game between the New York Liberty and the now-defunct Houston Comets.

The surge in viewership is primarily attributed to Clark, who has captivated new audiences with logo-range three-pointers. Earlier in the month, Clark and Iowa faced South Carolina in the women's NCAA championship game, which averaged a record 18.7 million viewers on ESPN.

Selected as the top overall pick by the Indiana Fever, Clark's presence is expected to bring heightened attention to the team. The league's partners will broadcast 36 of their 40 games nationally.

Data provided by ESPN's Michael Voepel and Field Level Media.