2024 WNBA All-Star Game shatters viewership record

2024 continues to be a banner year for the WNBA, as last weekend's All-Star festivities in Phoenix was the most viewed All-Star Game in league history, ESPN announced Tuesday.

The 2024 exhibition contest between the WNBA All-Stars and the U.S. Olympic Team had an average audience of 3.44 million viewers - a 305% growth year-over-year - becoming the third-most watched WNBA event and most since the league's first two nationally televised games in 1997.

The previous audience record for an All-Star Game was 1.441 million viewers, set in 2003 on ABC, according to The Athletic's Richard Deitsch.

Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale scored an All-Star Game-record 34 points, leading the WNBA squad to a 117-109 win over Team USA.

It was a benchmark moment for ESPN, as the contest became the most-viewed WNBA event ever on ESPN Networks, surpassing the 2024 WNBA Draft, which accrued 2.45 million viewers.

"This weekend's extraordinary viewership underscores women's sports' exponential growth and ESPN is proud to showcase this incredible league and its exceptional athletes on such a grand stage," ESPN senior vice president of league programming and acquisitions Julie Sobieski said, according to Deitsch.

This was the 17th WNBA game this season that has had more than 1 million viewers, with rookie Caitlin Clark appearing in 15, according to The Associated Press.

ESPN also announced All-Star Friday Night, which included the Three-Point Contest and Skills Challenge, also broke WNBA records. It's the most watched pre-WNBA All-Star event ever, grabbing 695,000 watchers.

The league has yet to announce a date and location for the 2025 festivities.