When John Kopecky, a salesman in Colorado Springs, made arrangements for Caitlin Clark’s May 30th game against the Sun in Indianapolis, he had no idea that the star would get sidelined for two weeks. But when he found out, his actions were similar to those of many Caitlin Clark fans: “it didn’t make sense for us to fly to Indianapolis.” Well, that’s the same idea most Fever fans have in mind. And that’s how ticket prices for the next four games for the Fever are plummeting. The Fever vs. Sky at the 23,500-seat United Center has already dropped 71%. But don’t expect the attendance to be limited league-wide.
Sure, Caitlin Clark’s arrival has fueled ticket sales for the Fever, giving them a 6x boost — a 497% increase in ticket sales for Fever games compared to the 2023 season. But for the 2025 regular season campaign, she’s not the lone contributor to ticket sales. Notably, with the 2025 No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers, the Dallas Wings’ sales graph is seeing an upsurge, too. And it’s not happening all of a sudden. Even before the arrival of the rookie sensation, the Wings had a 4.5x boost, which is a 343% surge from last year’s start. In just 24 hours after drafting Bueckers, site searches for the Wings had a 351% boost, according to StubHub.
And it’s not just one website. Even SeatGeek reported an 11-fold increase in ticket sales, claiming the site’s traffic jumped 905%, per TMZ, five years after the draft. Considering the sales, her sold-out debut versus the Minnesota Lynx at a packed College Park Center wasn’t really a big deal. But her return to Connecticut really was — especially since the team was coming off a 0-4 regular season run. While expectations were low from the Wings, it was Bueckers who unintentionally urged people to pay huge prices for tickets. “I don’t think we lost here in my UConn career, so we’ll try to carry those vibes over to this game and approach it with a winning mentality,” she said a day before tip-off.
Notably, undefeated Bueckers was about to enter Mohegan Sun with a 15-0 overall and 12-0 Big East Tournament record. So it made sense why people wanted to line up to watch her play, even if the prices recorded were enormous.
With both standard tickets and verified resale tickets available, Ticketmaster had prices ranging from $61–$1299 for courtside seats next to the team bench. And people did pay that amount, as claimed by Overtime WBB in a clip shared.
And in return, Paige paid back too — by giving one of her best performances, hitting a game-high 21 points with seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals. Enough to get Dallas their first win of the season, 109–87. So clearly, Paige has the potential to fill up the void created by the absence of Caitlin Clark. But the process won’t be as easy as it may seem to be.
Can Paige Bueckers alone fill up the spaces left by Caitlin Clark?
Indiana Fever’s game ticket prices have dropped drastically since news of Caitlin Clark’s injury came out. According to USA Today Sports, purchases were 71% more expensive, with an average of $137, before the Indiana Fever sensation’s injury was announced. And it’s not just the Fever being impacted; even their opponent teams are suffering. For instance, Washington moved the game from CareFirst Arena to CFG Bank Arena, which has 6,000 extra seats, mainly to accommodate the demand to see Clark. But everything went in vain, as the cheapest ticket was selling for just $14 as of Tuesday night.
Even their upcoming game is heavily impacted. Fever vs. Sky was moved to the United Center, with over 20,000 seats, but now the cheapest ticket is just $25. So clearly, the W needs a substitution. And while Bueckers is one replacement, the Golden State Valkyries can be another. As the WNBA’s newest expansion team, GSV has injected a wave of excitement and financial promise—even before their first official tip-off.
May 21, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes (15), forward Kayla Thornton (5), guard Veronica Burton (22) and center Temi Fagbenle (14) huddle during a game against the Washington Mystics in the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Just consider how they became the first team in WNBA history to hit 10,000 season tickets sold. And not just that—they also received 22,000 season ticket deposits, more than doubling the previous league record. And while Clark will certainly return to re-ignite her own wave of energy, the Valkyries prove that the WNBA’s growth story isn’t tied to just one name.
But what do you think? Who will make the bigger impact—Bueckers or GSV? Will Bueckers’ impact be the same as the one seen in Mohegan for her other games?
The post No Panic for WNBA as Paige Bueckers Steps Up Amid 71% Ticket Price Dip in Caitlin Clark’s Absence appeared first on EssentiallySports.