We’re used to seeing Caitlin Clark do her damage on the court, but Sunday night brought something different. Clark made her broadcasting debut as a special contributor, joining NBC’s pregame coverage for the launch of Sunday Night Basketball, and it definitely had its fair share of viral moments.

NBC promoted Caitlin Clark’s debut alongside Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady for a 6:00 p.m. ET start, but fans didn’t see the Indiana Fever star until 37 minutes later. The delay drew frustration, but it also underscored just how strong Clark’s pull already is.

And that is why a user going by the name FORTYFOUR_12oo (@HUSKER_D00_1200) went as far as to claim that, for the first time in NBA history, a pregame broadcast drew more viewers than the game itself.

But how true is that claim? We dug deeper to find out.

Is it true that an NBA pre-game broadcast ever got higher viewership than the game?

For the first time since the 2002 NBA Finals between the Nets and Lakers, NBC returned as an NBA broadcaster after the league finalized an 11-year, $76 billion media deal with NBC/Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, and ESPN. And the impact was immediate.

The season-opening doubleheader averaged 5.61 million viewers, making it the most-watched October opening night in 15 years, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel measurements and digital data from Adobe Analytics. That figure also represented an 87 percent increase over the 3 million viewers who tuned in on TNT Sports last year.

The new TV deal delivered immediate results, with more than 60 million viewers tuning in during the first month alone. In a press release, the NBA also highlighted a 92 percent year-over-year jump in viewership over the first two weeks, reaching its highest levels since 2013.

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NBC coming back into the picture clearly helped boost numbers, and when you factor in Caitlin Clark, who has already done revolutionary things for WNBA viewership, the theory starts to make sense on the surface. That said, a pregame broadcast actually pulling more viewers than the game itself is still a stretch, and here’s why.

First things first, there’s no credible source backing this up. Do we think this could turn into one of NBC’s most-watched pregame shows and games this season? Absolutely. But the idea that the pregame dominated the game itself feels unlikely, particularly given how significant the game was on its own.

Knicks vs Lakers was always going to be must-watch TV. It was billed as potentially LeBron James’ last game at Madison Square Garden, with upper-level seats selling for more than $500 and courtside spots going for thousands. With LeBron and Luka Doncic sharing the floor, it’s hard to imagine any pregame show outdrawing a game of that magnitude.

So, unless a reputable source comes out with the actual numbers from Sunday, this rumor is as good as false. 

Will Caitlin Clark Return to Her Role as an NBC Special Contributor?

This question has been on a lot of people’s minds, especially after the debut episode delivered its fair share of viral moments. Reggie Miller’s comparison of Caitlin Clark to Payton Pritchard caught fans off guard and even seemed to surprise the Indiana Fever guard herself.

But if there’s one takeaway, it’s this. Everyone wants to hear Clark talk basketball again, and the good news is, that’s going to happen.

She’s set to return as a special contributor in another pregame role on March 29, when the Knicks head to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder.