Aces post WNBA’s largest attendance since 1999 in Caitlin Clark’s visit to T-Mobile Arena

Caitlin Clark is an All-Star. She also remains big business for the WNBA, as do the Las Vegas Aces.

In a much-anticipated game against Clark’s Indiana Fever at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, the Aces posted the largest regular-season single-game attendance the WNBA has seen since 1999, with 20,366 fans at the sold-out NHL arena.

The Aces typically play their games in the Michelob ULTRA Arena, but moved this game to T-Mobile Arena, home of the Vegas Golden Knights, due to increased ticket demand stemming from Clark’s popularity.

While it’s easy to credit Clark, the Aces’ own local popularity was also likely a major factor in that number. They were already the first team in WNBA history to sell out every one of the regular-season home games.

The four WNBA regular-season games with higher attendance are actually tied for first with 20,674 fans, via Washington Mystics sell-outs of what is now known as Capital One Arena in 1998 and 1999. The Mystics actually held the entire top five before this game, thanks to their own game against Clark.

The most-attended game in the playoffs is a Detroit Shock-Los Angeles Sparks WNBA Finals game in 2003 with 22,076 fans.

As Callie Lawson-Freeman of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes, the Aces’ attendance mark is also the largest attendance ever seen at T-Mobile Arena at a professional sporting event, despite the venue also hosting numerous hockey games (including Stanley Cup Final games), MMA bouts and boxing matches.

The only T-Mobile event to see more fans: a college basketball game between Duke and Gonzaga in 2021, which saw 22,389 fans.

The Aces defeated the Fever 88-69 for their fifth straight win, with Kelsey Plum leading all scorers with 34 points plus six rebounds and five assists. Clark had 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting, plus 11 assists, six rebounds and six turnovers.