Caitlin Clark's Debut Turned Over WNBA TV History With Highest Ratings In Decades

Before Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics and Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers revived the dying TV audience of the NBA in the 1980s, several NBA Finals games were actually televised on tape delay. Network executives did not want to give up prime time slots for such hit shows as "Dallas."

The WNBA's TV numbers have been worthy of tape delay for more than two decades in what may soon forever be known as the Pre-Caitlin Era.

RELATED: Caitlin Clark Roasted After Off Debut Game

Caitlin Clark, the Larry Bird of the new WNBA, proved that in her first WNBA regular season game on Tuesday night for the Indiana Fever with HUGE TV numbers, and the first pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft out of Iowa didn't even play well.

Caitlin Clark was all smiles just before tipping off her WNBA career Tuesday night for the Indiana Fever in its regular season opener vs. the Connecticut Sun at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Getty Images)

Connecticut Sun guard Dijonai Carrington welcomed Clark to the WNBA by covering her like butter on Iowa mashed potatoes in a dominating 92-71 win over the Fever in front of a sold-out crowd of 8,910 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Clark, an extremely accurate passing point guard in college, committed 10 turnovers and had only three assists and zero rebounds after averaging 7.4 last season for Iowa. She did manage to score 20 points after getting shut out in the first quarter, but shot just 5 of 15 from the field and 4 of 11 from 3-point range. She had very few open looks.

OPINION: Caitlin Can Make WNBA Great TV, If WNBA Doesn't Turn It Over

But America took a look at the WNBA in record numbers not seen since before Clark was born 22 years ago.

Clark and company - but mostly Clark - drew an average of 2.13 million viewers on ESPN2 Tuesday night, despite posting up on TV against the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers in the NBA Playoffs on TNT. It was the most watched WNBA game of any kind since May 28, 2001 - Memorial Day - when the Los Angeles Sparks and Houston Comets played before an average of 2.45 million on NBC.

This WNBA opener was largely insignificant and somewhat dull - you know, like most NBA openers. But it still beat out the NHL Playoffs pairing on ESPN in which the Boston Bruins beat the Florida Panthers, 2-1, to avoid elimination and get within 3-2 in the seven-game series. ESPN2, by definition, rarely beats ESPN in any type of prime-time programming.

But this is the Caitlin Effect.

The Clark debut lost to the Knicks-Pacers in the ratings, but only by a 4.88 million average number of viewers to 2.1 million. There were also 15 Major League Baseball games televised around the country. Those do not pull in the national TV ratings, but fans flock to their local markets to watch their teams.

Caitlin Clark couldn't find many openings vs. Connecticut's DiJonai Carrington Tuesday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Getty Images).

The game after the Clark game, meanwhile, in an ESPN2 doubleheader on the WNBA's opening night drew only 464,000 viewers. And that game featured the twice-defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces beating the Phoenix Mercury, 89-80. 

Yes, it's Caitlin Clark's league.

Indiana and Connecticut also drew the largest-ever WNBA TV audience on one of the ESPN networks or ABC. The previous high was 1.43 million for the pro debut of UConn's Diana Taurasi with Phoenix in 2004. The WNBA had not hit even a million viewers since 2008 when Tennessee's Candace Parker made her pro debut with the Los Angeles Sparks.

And Clark is likely just scratching the surface. After her home opener Thursday against the New York Liberty (7 p.m., Amazon Prime), which is not likely to outdraw the Tuesday opener, look out for Saturday. Indiana plays at the New York Liberty in a 1 p.m. game on ABC when there will be no day NBA Playoff games.

WNBA Fever … Catch It.