\n\t\t\t\t\t\tIt was a busy opening weekend for the WNBA with record-breaking performances and ratings as the league’s stars shined.Previous video above: Fans fill Carver-Hawkeye Arena for Caitlin Clark’s returnThe game between Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever and Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky drew an average of 2.7 million viewers, which made it the most-watched WNBA game on ESPN platforms. Clark posted a triple-double while Reese had 12 points and 17 rebounds in the blowout loss for Chicago.The pair also had a moment on the court when Clark had a hard foul on Reese while she was going for a layup that ended up being a flagrant 1 when it was upgraded by the officials. Both players after the game said that it was just a basketball play.A day after the game, the league said it was looking into racial comments made towards Reese by fans. A person familiar with the situation confirmed the details to The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the league had not publicly identified the subject of the taunts or who made the allegations.Indiana said it would do what it could to help the league.\u201cI told the team, obviously, we\u2019re going to cooperate fully with the investigation,\u201d Fever coach Stephanie White said Monday. \u201cBut there\u2019s no place for that in our league, whether it\u2019s at home, whether it\u2019s on the road. It doesn\u2019t matter. We want to encourage our players, our staff to bring recognition to it in real time if it\u2019s heard, if it\u2019s seen or anything of that nature.\u201dThe two teams will meet again on June 7 in Chicago.It wasn’t just the Chicago-Indiana game that drew strong numbers. The opener Saturday between Las Vegas and New York had an average of 1.3 million viewers. Reigning MVP A’ja Wilson had a stellar performance in the loss. Last season’s runner-up for MVP also had a strong opening weekend as Napheesa Collier led Minnesota to two victories.While Indiana, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York and Minnesota were expected to be in the WNBA spotlight this season, not much was expected of Washington with a new coach, new general manager and a whole host of new players, led by rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen.The Mystics won their first two games and now head out for a three-game west coast trip in Golden State, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Power poll rankingsMinnesota and New York led the way in the first regular season AP power poll tied at No. 1. The national voting panel chose Indiana third and Phoenix fourth. Las Vegas, Washington and Los Angeles were the next three. Seattle, Atlanta and Dallas followed. Chicago, Connecticut and Golden State rounded out the rankings.Player of the weekNapheesa Collier had a strong opening weekend, averaging 28.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists to help the Lynx win their first two games, both on the road. Other players receiving consideration included Caitlin Clark of Indiana, Natasha Cloud of New York, Kelsey Plum of Los Angeles and Brittney Sykes of Washington.Game of the weekNew York at Indiana, Saturday. The defending champion Liberty will visit Clark and the new-look Fever. Indiana made a ton of offseason moves to bolster their roster, including signing DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard. It will be a chance for the team to see where it stacks up against one of the best teams in the league early in the season.\u00bb Subscribe to KCCI’s YouTube page\u00bb Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tINDIANAPOLIS (AP) \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
It was a busy opening weekend for the WNBA with record-breaking performances and ratings as the league’s stars shined.<\/p>\n
Previous video above: Fans fill Carver-Hawkeye Arena for Caitlin Clark’s return<\/p>\n
The game between Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever and Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky<\/a> drew an average of 2.7 million viewers, which made it the most-watched WNBA game on ESPN platforms. Clark posted a triple-double while Reese had 12 points and 17 rebounds in the blowout loss for Chicago.<\/p>\n \n\tThis content is imported from Twitter. The most-watched WNBA opening weekend EVER on ESPN platforms \ud83d\udc4f<\/p>\n Sky-Fever Aces-Liberty \u2014 ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) May 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The pair also had a moment on the court when Clark had a hard foul on Reese while she was going for a layup that ended up being a flagrant 1<\/a> when it was upgraded by the officials. Both players after the game said that it was just a basketball play.<\/p>\n A day after the game, the league said it was looking into racial comments made towards Reese by fans. A person familiar with the situation confirmed the details to The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the league had not publicly identified the subject of the taunts or who made the allegations.<\/p>\n Indiana said it would do what it could to help the league.<\/p>\n \u201cI told the team, obviously, we\u2019re going to cooperate fully with the investigation,\u201d Fever coach Stephanie White said Monday. \u201cBut there\u2019s no place for that in our league, whether it\u2019s at home, whether it\u2019s on the road. It doesn\u2019t matter. We want to encourage our players, our staff to bring recognition to it in real time if it\u2019s heard, if it\u2019s seen or anything of that nature.\u201d<\/p>\n The two teams will meet again on June 7 in Chicago<\/a>.<\/p>\n It wasn’t just the Chicago-Indiana game that drew strong numbers. The opener Saturday between Las Vegas and New York had an average of 1.3 million viewers. Reigning MVP A’ja Wilson had a stellar performance in the loss. Last season’s runner-up for MVP also had a strong opening weekend as Napheesa Collier led Minnesota to two victories.<\/p>\n While Indiana, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York and Minnesota were expected to be in the WNBA spotlight this season, not much was expected of Washington with a new coach, new general manager and a whole host of new players, led by rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen.<\/p>\n The Mystics won their first two games and now head out for a three-game west coast trip in Golden State, Las Vegas and Phoenix. <\/p>\n Power poll rankings<\/p>\n Minnesota and New York led the way in the first regular season AP power poll tied at No. 1. The national voting panel chose Indiana third and Phoenix fourth. Las Vegas, Washington and Los Angeles were the next three. Seattle, Atlanta and Dallas followed. Chicago, Connecticut and Golden State rounded out the rankings.<\/p>\n Player of the week<\/p>\n Napheesa Collier had a strong opening weekend, averaging 28.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists to help the Lynx win their first two games, both on the road. Other players receiving consideration included Caitlin Clark of Indiana, Natasha Cloud of New York, Kelsey Plum of Los Angeles and Brittney Sykes of Washington.<\/p>\n Game of the week<\/p>\n New York at Indiana, Saturday. The defending champion Liberty will visit Clark and the new-look Fever. Indiana made a ton of offseason moves to bolster their roster, including signing DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard. It will be a chance for the team to see where it stacks up against one of the best teams in the league early in the season.<\/p>\n \u00bb Subscribe to KCCI’s YouTube page<\/a><\/p>\n \u00bb Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple<\/a> | Google Play<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\tYou may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.\n<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfc0 2.7M avg. viewers, 3.1M peak
\ud83c\udfc0 Most-watched WNBA game EVER on ESPN platforms<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfc0 1.3M avg. viewers, 1.9M peak pic.twitter.com\/SWMHmNwXrb<\/a><\/p>\n