Golden State beat Atlanta in the first-ever WNBA Finals Game 7, capping a title run in just the franchise's second season.
The Golden State Valkyries won their first championship on Saturday, beating the Atlanta Dream in the deciding Game 7 of the WNBA Finals. It is the first title in franchise history, coming in just the Valkyries' second year of existence, and the first time the WNBA Finals have gone the full seven games since the league switched to the best-of-seven format this year.
The game also drew a crowd well beyond the court. Preliminary numbers from Nielsen and Adobe Analytics show Game 7 pulled in more than 3.3 million viewers across USA Network, CNBC, and Peacock. A final figure is expected later.
If that preliminary number holds, it would be the most-watched WNBA game, regular season or postseason, since the league's first season in 1997. Before this century, only three WNBA games had ever topped 3 million viewers, according to Sports Media Watch.
The result caps an ascendant year for the league's viewership overall, with a decisive Halloween Saturday finish giving the WNBA its biggest audience moment in decades.