Brian Rothmuller/AP
When the WNBA decided not to stream Angel Reese’s debut, one fan in the arena streamed it from their phone to more than half a million viewers.
Reese was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky. On May 3, she made her professional debut when the Sky took on the Minnesota Lynx. Unfortunately for anyone not in the arena for the game, that debut couldn’t be watched as the league did not stream the game on WNBA League Pass.
Realizing this, a fan in crowd known as Alli decided to start a live stream on Twitter from her seat. During the game, the stream managed to attract as many as 545,000 viewers. As of Monday, the archived stream has more than 600,000 views.
lynx vs sky preseason game!! https://t.co/fOHriWWcVV
— alli (@heyheyitsalli) May 4, 2024
To many online, the league’s decision to not televise the game was a baffling one. After all, the Sky features both Reese and former South Carolina star Kamilla Cardoso — who just won a national championship a few weeks ago. The game didn’t lack star appeal.
The WNBA’s coverage of Caitlin Clark and her debut with the Indiana Fever was on the other end of the spectrum. Highlights were posted all over social media and the official account of the NBA even posted about it.
21 Points.
5 Threes.
2 Steals.Solid WNBA preseason debut for @CaitlinClark22 👏 pic.twitter.com/HKPrUQCE5A
— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2024
Now, it seems the league is determined to not make the same mistake twice. Tuesday’s preseason game between the Sky and the New York Liberty will be available on League Pass.
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