No women’s professional basketball game has as many viewers as Friday’s Unrivaled game. At least in the regular season.
The doubleheader in the player-driven 3-on-3 league at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia was announced to be a sold-out crowd of 21,490 fans. It reportedly set a record for the largest regular-season attendance in professional women’s basketball.
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For reference, the most-watched WNBA regular season game was the Washington Mystics vs. Indiana Fever game on September 19, 2024, at Capital One Arena in Washington. It was the last game of Kaitlyn Clark’s rookie season. However, the WNBA has held two games with 22,076 fans at the Detroit Shock’s Palace of Auburn Hills in 2003 and 2007.
Unrivaled also noted that Xfinity Mobile Arena, home to the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, has set attendance records for any event.
Many fans in attendance enjoyed an entertaining first game, with Kelsey Plum hitting the game-winning shot for Phantom and finishing with 22 points.
Also among the winning Phantoms is Natasha Cloud, who grew up in the Philadelphia area. She gave an emotional interview after the first game, breaking down in tears as she talked about how much she loved the city.
The Philadelphia game is the first stop on a new Unparalleled Tour designed to expand the reach of women’s professional basketball. Philadelphia has never had a WNBA team but acquired an expansion team last year that will begin play in 2030.