Claims That Caitlin Clark-WNBA Benefited From Enes Kanter Freedom’s Presence to Draw 3.31 Million Viewers Debunked

By now, there is no doubt that Caitlin Clark is the biggest draw, not just for the WNBA, but for women’s sports as a whole. However, in her last game, a certain Enes Kanter Freedom arrived and made a spectacle out of it when he had a showdown with Natasha Cloud.

The former NBA star was eventually escorted out by arena security, after which he was subsequently banned from attending any more Chicago Sky home games.

The WNBA followed by declaring that he and fellow former NBA player Royce White are not eligible to play in the league. Currently, the 34-year-old is working towards contesting that decision.

In the meantime, that game happened to be Clark’s and her Indiana Fever’s 25th win. It also became the WNBA’s most-viewed regular-season game since 1997.

NBC’s PR arm confirmed that this game drew 3.31 million viewers. It cements the Iowa native’s position as the biggest draw in the league. However, some believe that Enes Kanter Freedom’s clash with Cloud was the reason this game pulled 800 K more viewers than it has all season.

pic.twitter.com/YDby256VEs

— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) August 26, 2026

Media analyst SportsMediaWatch confirmed these ratings and also revealed that the game had a peak viewership of 3.82 million viewers. Since it is closer to the average, it is unlikely that a single event spiked the data.

Moreover, this game is not the one with the highest peak viewership this WNBA season. It was when Caitlin Clark battled longtime rival Angel Reese in their August 16th clash.

That game registered four million viewers at its peak and averaged 2.6 million. Therefore, the overtime battle is what attracted more eyes. Hence, it can be proven through data that Kanter Freedom’s antics were not the reason for this surge in ratings.

Caitlin Clark and Fever have set viewership records across all network partners

There was a time at the start of the season when some critics claimed that the influence Caitlin Clark had on viewership numbers and ticket and merchandise sales was over.

While others also labeled her on-court performances as a ‘Linsanity run,’ not only has she defied that logic with her record-breaking performances, but she has also proved to be the WNBA’s Golden Goose by a considerable margin.

This season, Caitlin Clark and the Fever have set the WNBA viewership record on CBS, NBC, ESPN, Prime, USA Network, and Ion.

Front Office Sports revealed on X

This means that every network that paid top dollar to get a piece of the WNBA’s media rights deal pie has ended up benefiting. It should be noted that the NBA has just three network partners: NBC, ESPN/ABC, and Amazon Prime Video.

This season, Caitlin Clark and the Fever have set the WNBA viewership record on CBS, NBC, ESPN, Prime, USA Network, and Ion. pic.twitter.com/YCzIN9WWqE

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) August 26, 2026

That means that the others, namely CBS, USA Network, and Ion, were banking on the 24-year-old’s motivation to be the best player in the league. Soon, the world will experience the same when Caitlin Clark plays for USA Basketball in Berlin.

Caitlin Clark and Fever have one last game before World Cup break

That game against the Chicago Sky was the last of the Indiana Fever’s gruelling five-game road trip. After the win, head coach Stephanie White gave them a deserving two days’ rest.

With the World Cup on the horizon, it is imperative for her two leading players, Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, to not just stay healthy, but also avoid getting burned out.

They will play significant minutes for USA Basketball, which is why there is a fear that the two might face fatigue by the time the playoffs arrive. The Fever have one last game to play before the two, and their coach packs their bags for Germany.

Since the Connecticut Sun have already been one of the worst teams of this season, Caitlin Clark and her teammates might make it easier for them if they go all out in the first half. That way, they can probably sit out the entire second half and allow the bench players to get minutes.

Also Read:

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• DeWanna Bonner Leaving Mercury to Sign With Contender Angers Fans – “Professional Quitter”