Caitlin Clark's arrival in the WNBA has led to a significant increase in the league's popularity. During Indiana's Fever's 81-74 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, hoops fans thronged the Target Center in Minneapolis in record numbers. A large section of the crowd arrived to watch the 2024 No. 1 draft pick.
The Target Center was sold out with 18,978 fans, leading to Fever fans shattering the Washington Mystics' 25-year-old attendance record.
The attendance for Indiana Fever's games (both home and away) this season breached the 400,000 mark on Sunday. A total of 409,217 fans have attended Indiana's 25 games this season so far.
Previously, the record was held by the Washington Mystics, who saw 408,059 fans attend their games in the 1999 season.
Let's take a closer look at the top 5 WNBA teams with the highest attendance in a regular season.
Top 5 WNBA teams with the highest home and away combined attendance
#1 Indiana Fever
The 25 Indiana Fever games this season have been attended by 409,217 fans. Indiana Fever is averaging 16,368.68 fans per game this season. With the franchise slated to play 15 more games, the record is likely to be extended further by a huge margin.
#2 Washington Mystics
The 32 games that the Washington Mystics played in 1999 were attended by 408,059. The franchise recorded an average attendance of 12,751.84 fans per game.
#3 New York Liberty
In 1998, the New York Liberty registered a home and away combined attendance of 401,942 fans in 30 games. The Liberty averaged 13,398.07 fans per game that season.
#4 New York Liberty
The New York Liberty's 32 games in the 2001 season were attended by 401,092 fans. The franchise averaged 12,534.13 fans per game that year.
#5 New York Liberty
In 2000, the 32 games played by the New York Liberty in the regular season were attended by 396,417 fans. On average, the Liberty games registered an attendance of 12,388.03 fans.