The WNBA continued its impressive growth this year, with more and more fans tuning in on television and showing up in person to watch games.
On Thursday, the league announced that total attendance at WNBA games this year had officially eclipsed 2.5 million, setting a new record for the league. Further, the league’s new high mark was set with just 13 teams having played a total of 226 games thus far, while the previous record, set in 2002, came from a total of 256 games and 16 teams across the league.
Fans and media across the internet celebrated the news.
What a tremendous league we have. https://t.co/ZhkhILHX7G
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) August 21, 2025
Feels significant that this record was broken with three fewer teams than 2002 https://t.co/exvnff2KYG
— Claire Watkins (@ScoutRipley) August 21, 2025
It’s a great mark for the league thus far, and it feels like things are still growing at a rapid pace.
The WNBA Boom Isn’t Done Booming Just Yet
The explosion of the WNBA over the past few years has been impossible to miss. While the arrival of Caitlin Clark, fresh off of her stint as the biggest star in college sports after her career at Iowa, was a leading contributor, she’s far from the only player fueling the league’s impressive growth.
Fellow 2024 rookies Angel Reese and Cameron Brink bring plenty of attention with them, as does this year’s all but guaranteed Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers. Meanwhile, veterans like A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Napheesa Collier also carry plenty of star power all their own.
Maybe the brightest sign for the league’s continued growth is the fact that the stars are still coming up. Notre Dame’s Hannah Hildago, UConn’s Azzi Fudd and LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson are all likely to jump to the W next year. USC’s JuJu Watkins is expected to be sidelined due to a torn ACL this year, but will bring a ton of star power back to the court whenever she returns.
The WNBA has to be pleased with the new attendance record the league set, but if things keep moving in the direction they are moving, it’s a record we could see broken a few more times in the coming years.
More WNBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as WNBA Smashes Season Attendance Record With Three Weeks Left to Play.
