WNBA Finals Game 5 sees most viewers of century to cap historic season

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The 2024 WNBA season was a historic one on many levels, and its ending with Game 5 in the WNBA Finals between the champion New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx was the cherry on top in terms of viewership. 

This overtime thriller, where the New York Liberty took down the Lynx, 67-62, to capture the franchise’s first-ever title, was the most-viewed WNBA Finals game in 25 years across all networks, according to ESPN, which cited Nielsen data. 

The game, which aired on ESPN, topped out at 3.3 million viewers and was the fourth-most viewed WNBA Finals game ever across all networks ever. 

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New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones (35) holds up the MVP trophy after defeating the Minnesota Lynx in overtime to win the 2024 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center. (Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images)

This year’s WNBA Finals as a whole saw a 115% increase in viewership compared to last year’s series. 

It’s no secret the WNBA saw a massive jump in viewership this year in large part due to the incoming rookie class headlined by Indiana Fever top pick Caitlin Clark, Chicago Sky dominant forward Angel Reese and much more.

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Clark, the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year, drew many viewers in her two playoff games with the Fever against the Connecticut Sun. The first game recorded 1.84 million viewers, while Game 2 saw another record audience of 2.54 million viewers. 

The Fever lost both games to the Sun, but considering they were competing with an NFL Sunday — just as the Liberty and Lynx were in Game 5 of the Finals — shows just