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Paige Bueckers was the star of the night during the 2025 WNBA Draft. Thanks in large part to Bueckers' popularity, the telecast of the Draft did some of the most impressive numbers in the event's history.
As per sports writer Grant Afseth, Monday's telecast crossed the million mark in terms of viewership:
"The 2025 WNBA Draft, featuring Paige Bueckers being picked No. 1 by the Dallas Wings, was the second-most viewed ever. Viewership peaked at 1.46M," Afseth tweeted on Tuesday.
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Though the 1.25 million average viewership is an impressive feat for Monday's proceedings, it comes in second to the most-watched WNBA Draft of all time. That would be the 2024 WNBA Draft, which featured Caitlin Clark being selected first overall by the Indiana Fever.
Aside from the former Iowa Hawkeyes standout, college stars like Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, and Kamilla Cardoso were featured in the first round. As a result of this star power, the 2024 WNBA Draft drew 2.45 million viewers and peaked at 3.09 million.
Still, there's no denying that excitement reached a fever pitch as Bueckers made her entry into the WNBA as this year's top pick. After getting drafted, the former UConn star expressed her own excitement to join the Dallas Wings:
"Just to feel loved, feel supported, it means everything," Bueckers said during a media availability. "I can't wait to play in that system, to play in that team, to embrace that new city."
Highly anticipated Paige Bueckers vs Caitlin Clark matchup moves to bigger venue
Of course, Bueckers has been eyed as the top overall draft pick for quite some time now. It's no surprise, then, that a potential clash between Bueckers and Clark has been moved to a bigger venue.
Back on Mar. 19, the American Airlines Center announced that it would be hosting the first regular season matchup between the Dallas Wings and Clark's Indiana Fever:
This means that all parties involved anticipate that the Wings vs. Fever matchup, which could feature the first meeting between Bueckers and Clark if both are healthy, is more appropriate for an arena with a capacity of 20,000 (as opposed to the Wings' home venue of College Park Center, which seats 7,000).
