The Washington Mystics have moved their game against the Indiana Fever to the Capital One Arena as fans clamor to see basketball stars Caitlin Clark and Aaliyah Edwards, the team announced Friday.
Tickets for the June 7 game quickly sold out this past week at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southeast D.C., where the Mystics play most of their regular season home games.
“There has been unprecedented demand for the WNBA this season due in large part to the talent of incoming players from this season’s collegiate draft, including Washington’s first-round pick Aaliyah Edwards,” the Mystics said in a release.
For comparison, Capital One Arena has a seating capacity of 20,356 for basketball games while the team’s home stadium has 4,200 seats.
The demand follows the women’s NCAA Tournament title game between South Carolina and Iowa drawing a massive TV audience. It was the most-watched basketball game since 2019.
At the WNBA draft on Monday, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark was the No. 1 overall pick. However, her rookie season salary of $76,535 shocked fans and stirred debate on social media.
UConn's All-American forward Aaliyah Edwards was the No. 6 overall pick in the draft by the Mystics, who took to social media to welcome her to D.C. and count down the days until she joins the team.
“All we have to say is.....22 more days! @AaliyahEdwards_" the Mystics said on X.
“New home, new threads, new number, what’s it finna play?🤭 Still soaking it all in🙏🏾 #focusforward,” Edwards said on X.
Tickets for the Mystics vs. Fever went on sale April 23 at 10 a.m. at WashMystics.com.
The seats of season ticket holders will be relocated to Capital One. Fans who already purchased tickets will have an opportunity to select their seats, the release said.
The game's tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. It will broadcast on ION television, the release said.
