A crowd of over 17,000 fans dressed in red or purple screamed as Angel Reese secured the ball at tipoff as the Golden State Valkyries visited State Farm Arena to face the Atlanta Dream in Game 3 on Wednesday. After years of quiet arenas and few television slots, the WNBA Finals are receiving the love they truly deserve. But apart from the fans physically present at the venue, the cable broadcast of Game 3 took it a step further.
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According to an X post by WNBA Communications, Game 3 between the Valkyries and the Dream became the most-viewed WNBA Finals Game 3 in history across USA Sports’ coverage. The post stated that the game had an average viewership of 1.71 million viewers across the broadcast period.
The USA Sports Newsroom team put out a press release on October 24, 2026, outlining the record viewership. The cable viewership, spread across USA Network, CNBC, and streaming on Peacock, saw a 31% increase from last year’s Game 3 between the Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury, a series the Aces eventually swept 4-0 to win the championship.
The hype is not unfounded, as the matchup features Angel Reese, one of the league’s most talked-about players, as well as the Valkyries, the youngest team to ever make it to the WNBA Finals.
Angel Reese joined the Dream this season after two seasons with the Chicago Sky, and has been lighting up the stat sheet ever since. This season, she broke the WNBA record for most double-doubles in a single season, recording 29 in the regular season, while also winning the Defensive Player of the Year award. Her star power is undeniable, leading the league in rebounds all season.
On the other hand, the Golden State Valkyries were founded in 2025, and this is the second season the young franchise is playing. Led by Gabby Williams and head coach Natalie Nakase, the team clinched the second seed coming into the 2026 playoffs after being swept 2-0 by the Minnesota Lynx in last year’s playoff series.
The Game 3 matchup captured the attention of millions, as both teams have performed incredibly well so far in the playoffs. The Dream boasted a clean record, sweeping the Washington Mystics and the New York Liberty, before losing Game 1 to the Valkyries.
But they have come back to dominate Games 2 and 3, leading the series now 2-1. The Valkyries, on the other hand, slipped past the Dallas Wings in a 2-1 series before sweeping the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, in a clean 3-0 series to reach the finals.
It was Reese’s 21 points and 12 rebounds that pushed the Dream to the 97-71 win against the Valkyries. The young forward shot 7-of-12 from the field, but made 2-of-2 three-pointers and was perfect from the charity stripe, bagging 5-of-5 shots. The Dream offense was helped by Naz Hillmon (15 points/ two rebounds) and Rhyne Howard (16 points/ four rebounds), while their defense held the Valkyries starters to a combined 33 points.
Gabby Williams, who has led the Valkyries in scoring through the regular and postseason, was only able to score 15 points across 34 minutes of play. The Dream defenders did not let her get a clear look at the basket, forcing her to take difficult shots. She ended up making 5-of-18 shots from the field. The Valkyries are now one game behind the Dream as the teams head into Game 4.
But it is not just Game 3 that has broken viewership numbers this year.
WNBA Finals breaks multiple records across first three games
It seems like the WNBA Finals is quickly becoming a national phenomenon, with viewership records being created and broken every single year. This season, the WNBA All-Star game drew more attendance than even the NBA All-Star game! And the most-hyped playoff games, the Finals series, are making history with each matchup as fans flock to the stadiums.
Game 1 of this Finals series became the most-watched WNBA Finals series opener in history, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel and Adobe Analytics. The game drew 2.1 million viewers as the Dream lost their first playoff game this season in a 68-64 defeat by the Valkyries.
This is an 11% increase from last year’s series opener between the Aces and the Mercury, which drew 1.9 million viewers. But the hype doesn’t stop there.
Game 2 followed with another intense matchup, as the Dream equalized the series score with a 79-65 win behind Angel Reese’s monster 30-point, 16-rebound double-double. This game, too, became the most-watched WNBA Game 2 in history, with 1.33 million viewers.
The report by USA Sports noted that this was a nine percent increase in viewership from last year’s Game 2 between the Aces and the Mercury. Williams was once again held to a mere 14 points in this game, as the Dream’s defense forced her to shoot 3-of-15 from the field.
Ahead of Game 4, Gabby Williams has expressed her attempts to light a fire under her teammates, a change from her usual calm and collected demeanor. The Valkyries will definitely need this passion and aggression if they intend to stay in this Finals series against a Dream squad that will enter Game 4 with the momentum from two consecutive wins.