Monday’s WNBA Draft viewership delivered, after an average of 1.5 million viewers tuned in to ESPN’s coverage — marking the second-most watched event on record.
Viewership peaked at 1.79 million near the end of the first around, well after Dallas selected UConn’s Azzi Fudd No. 1 overall.
Ratings were up 20% over 2025, falling second only to 2024, when 2.45 million saw Indiana take Iowa’s Caitlin Clark with its first pick.
Monday’s numbers reinforce the women’s basketball boom’s endurance, arriving shortly after ESPN aired the second-most watched March Madness in network history.
Prior to 2024, WNBA draft viewership peaked at just 601,000 in 2004, while the last three years remain the only broadcasts to clear seven figures.
The 2026 WNBA Draft also ranked as the night’s top program among male-identified adults aged 25 to 54 and all adults from 18 to 34 — providing a captive audience as the league heads into its 30th season.
"The past 30 years have been about building the foundation. The next 30 are about scaling the game, unlocking what's possible for the entirety of women's basketball and women's sports," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters in New York.
"Season 30 arrives at what I think is the perfect moment... this starts a new chapter, and I can't wait for what's ahead."
