Most people in four years tune in to WNBA draft to watch A'ja Wilson get picked No. 1

It could be a coincidence. It could be for some other reason. But the facts of the matter are that A'ja Wilson was picked No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft this past Thursday, and more people watched that happen than any other previous draft since 2014.

ESPN, which broadcast the first round of the draft on ESPN2 and the second and third on ESPNU, released its viewership numbers on Monday. Across the board, the TV ratings were up, with an average of 308,000 people watching the first round and 110,000 watching the next two. That combined average of 212,000 was a 25 percent increase from last year's draft.

The first round's numbers were up 13 percent from last season and were the league's best since 2014, when Chiney Ogwumike went No. 1 overall. She has since gone on to make the WNBA All-Star game and has recently expanded her career outside of basketball by signing with ESPN to co-host SportsCenter in Africa.

The strong numbers for the draft stand in sharp contrast to the NCAA women's basketball Final Four, which drew low ratings despite featuring three thrilling games that all went down to the wire.

The WNBA has moved aggressively in recent years to increase viewership, including a deal with Twitter to stream up to 20 games each season online. Wilson's Las Vegas Aces will be on ESPN2 on June 22, while the Twitter and NBA TV matchups have yet to be announced. Only time will tell if the "A'ja bump" continues.

This story was originally published April 16, 2018 at 10:48 PM with the headline "Most people in four years tune in to WNBA draft to watch A'ja Wilson get picked No. 1."