Valkyries’ Title Run Draws Praise and WNBA Viewership Records

Golden State defeated Atlanta 68-63 on October 31 to claim its first WNBA championship, completing a seven-game Finals series. The title came in the Valkyries’ second season, a pace Caitlin Clark called remarkable and worthy of praise.

Clark, whose Fever season ended in the first playoff round, praised coach Natalie Nakase and the organization for building a close-knit team in a short time. In an appearance on Good Morning America, she described the franchise as first-class and said its journey had been fun to watch.

On Kylie Kelce’s podcast, recorded before Game 7, Clark also recalled owner Joe Lacob’s pledge to win a championship within five years. She joked that the team had done so quickly while she was not on its roster, then said the achievement was still exciting.

Game 7 attracted over 3.3 million people tuning in via USA Network, CNBC and Peacock, potentially making it the league’s most-watched game since its 1997 inaugural season. The seven-game series averaged 1.89 million viewers, a WNBA Finals record. The previous mark was 1.5 million per game for the 2024 series between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty.

The Finals capped a season in which the league reached more than 90 million unique viewers on national networks. A total of 51 games drew an average of 1 million viewers or more, compared with 19 in 2025. Clark said she believes women’s basketball is still only beginning to reach its potential.