Caitlin Clark has been a major boost to the WNBA since she arrived in 2024. WNBA reporter Natalie Esquire appeared to throw a thinly veiled dig at the Indiana Fever star following a major milestone recorded in the 2025 WNBA Finals.The NBC Sports reporter on X on Tuesday, responded to a report of the viewership record for Game 1 of the Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury. Clark has been a powerful draw, but the WNBA’s growth is now pulling in fans who are tuning in for other teams aside from Indiana.“But I was told,” Natalie Esquire tweeted.Game 1 of the 2025 WNBA Finals averaged 1.9 million viewers. The game peaked at 2.5 million viewers and was the most-watched Game 1 of a WNBA Finals in 28 years, since 1997.Clark’s entry into the WNBA coincided with multiple records for TV viewership. In 2024, her games reportedly averaged about 1.19 million viewers, as against about 394,000 for games without her. Networks across the board (ABC, ESPN, CBS, Ion, NBA TV) recorded their most-watched WNBA games ever, and most of them featured Caitlin Clark.Furthermore, her return from injury in 2025 was accompanied by big spikes. The Indiana Fever vs. the New York Liberty game on June 14 averaged 2.2 million viewers, peaking at 2.8 million, the third-most-watched WNBA game on ABC. Conversely, after she was injured and unavailable, national WNBA viewership reportedly dropped by about 55%, and Fever games dropped by about 53%.Indiana Fever home games in the Caitlin Clark era have drawn an average of about 17,000 fans in 2024 (a franchise record). This has been a major jump from pre-Clark figures, and some rival teams have moved games vs. Indiana to larger arenas to accommodate demand.WNBA Commissioner denies saying Caitlin Clark should be “grateful”WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert on Friday denied comments made by Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier regarding Caitlin Clark. Collier had claimed that Engelbert said the Fever star should be grateful to the WNBA for the opportunities given to her.“Obviously I did not make those comments,” Engelbert said. “Caitlin has been a transformational player in this league. She’s been a great representative of the game. She’s brought in tens of millions of new fans to the game. I’m proud of what she’s put on the court. … I certainly did not say that.”Collier caused a frenzy when she called out Engelbert during her exit interview. She has received support from Clark, alongside A’ja Wilson and Nneka Ogwumike.