The 2025 WNBA draft on Monday night saw the second-highest viewership numbers in league history.
The ESPN broadcast averaged 1.25 million viewers and peaked at 1.46 million. This is an 119% increase from the 2023 WNBA draft. It's only the second time in WNBA draft history when the viewership numbers were over one million. But the 2025 viewership numbers still sit quite a bit behind last year's results, as Caitlin Clark's being the No. 1 draft pick in '24 was a big draw to bring in 2.45 million average viewers, seeing a 307% increase from the year prior.
This year, Paige Bueckers headlined the draft as she was selected No. 1 by the Dallas Wings.
The 2025 #WNBADraft on ESPN delivered the second most-viewed WNBA Draft ever, averaging 1.25M viewers👏
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 15, 2025
🏀 1.46M peak
🏀 Most-viewed program across ALL TV among M18-34, M18-49 & P18-34
🏀 Top cable program among M25-54, P18-49 & P25-54 pic.twitter.com/io5HdjpuSF
It'll be interesting to see what WNBA viewership looks like during the 2025 season after the league saw historic numbers last season. The draft's viewership results look promising for the rest of the season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as WNBA Draft 2025 Headlined by Paige Bueckers Saw Second-Highest Viewership Numbers.
