DiJonai Carrington effectively circled the date on the calendar: Aug. 23. It marked the rematch between her Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever, against whom she was ejected after committing a flagrant 2 foul on Sophie Cunningham in the teams’ Aug. 8 meeting.
The matchup delivered one of the best games of Caitlin Clark’s career and, according to NBC Sports, the most-watched WNBA regular-season game since the league’s inaugural weekend in 1997.
Clark erupted for 37 points, the second most she’s scored in a WNBA game, while netting a career-high eight 3-pointers and dishing out 10 assists in a 113-90 victory. The Sunday night showdown averaged a total audience delivery (TAD) of 3.31 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, making it the third most-watched WNBA regular-season game ever, per NBC Sports, which cited “Nielsen Big Data + Panel” and digital data from Adobe Analytics.
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) August 26, 2026It's worth noting that Nielsen shifted to a new methodology last fall that couples its traditional panel with "Big Data" from smart TVs and set-top boxes. Doing so has played a role in surging viewership numbers. That said, Sunday’s draw is impressive nonetheless.
The first two most-watched WNBA regular-season games arrived on opening weekend of the W’s debut season 29 years ago, according to NBC Sports.
A game between the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks on June 21, 1997, averaged 5.04 million viewers on NBC, and a June 22, 1997, contest pitting the Charlotte Sting against the Phoenix Mercury averaged 3.59 million viewers on NBC.
There had been 6,440 WNBA regular-season games from when that Charlotte-Phoenix game was played and when Indiana-Chicago tipped off at Wintrust Arena, per NBC Sports.
Clark’s super performance was complemented by the steady attack backcourt partner Kelsey Mitchell has offered this season. Mitchell, another WNBA MVP candidate, put up 30 points, continuing to extend her league record with her 23rd consecutive outing of at least 20 points.
Carrington scored seven points on 3-of-11 shooting off the bench.
About two weeks earlier, her aforementioned flagrant 2 turned heads, considering Cunningham has been at the center of the WNBA's latest controversy after speaking about transgender women in sports, and the situation escalated when Carrintgton took to social media immediately after her ejection, posting "WHITE PRIVILEGE" in all caps and tagging the Fever on Threads.
Two days later, Carrington insisted on X that she "never once claimed that the assessment of the foul was white privilege," however; she did not explain the meaning behind the original post.
Another fracas emerged in Sunday’s game, this one involving beleaguered former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom. Kanter Freedom, who was born in Switzerland but lived in Turkey while growing up and then changed his last name to “Freedom” in 2021 after becoming a United States citizen, has inserted himself in the transgender athlete discussions that have surrounded the W of late.
In attendance for the latest iteration of Fever-Sky, Kanter Freedom wore a black T-shirt that featured the definition for the word “woman.” Kanter Freedom, along with fellow former NBA player Royce White, declared themselves for the 2027 WNBA Draft after saying they identified as women. League sources told Yahoo Sports’ Cassandra Negley that neither Kanter Freedom nor White are eligible to play in the W. There are no transgender players in the WNBA or preparing to enter the league.
Kanter Freedom engaged in a verbal altercation with the Sky’s Natasha Cloud during the third quarter. Following a bucket, Cloud berated Kanter Freedom, who was sitting baseline. Cloud had to be held back by her teammates, and Kanter Freedom was thrown out. Kanter Freedom is not welcome back at Wintrust Arena for the time being, according to Sky owner Michael Alter.
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