WNBA ratings and attendance are still strong despite top stars missing games with injuries

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NEW YORK (AP) — Even with many of its top stars sidelined, the WNBA has still had strong ratings and attendance numbers this season.

Injuries have kept Caitlin Clark, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Angel Reese out, but that hasn't dampened fan interest in the league.

ESPN games are up slightly over last season and games on ABC are up 17%. Attendance has also still been strong, thanks to the addition of the Golden State Valkyries this season, who have sold out all of their home games, averaging more than 18,000 fans.

Still, it’s not all been rosy for the league with negative attention coming towards the WNBA with a number of sex toys being thrown on the court at various arenas over a two-week span. That has subsided over the last few days.

For the most part, even without their stars, those teams have been able to play at a high level.

Minnesota has won all three games without Collier — the MVP frontrunner — who is sidelined with a right ankle sprain, to remain in first place in the standings, increasing their lead to 6 1/2 games over New York and Atlanta.

Indiana has gone 6-2 over its last eight games without Clark, who has been out for nearly a month with a right groin injury. She is progressing from the injury but still is not practicing.

The second-year guard told Sue Bird on her podcast that she feels a level of “responsibility” to play, knowing that so many people have been drawn to the league because of her.

“I think that’s definitely been hard. I’m going to go to every road game no matter what, whether I’m playing or not. It’s hard because obviously I do feel this responsibility of being out there and playing,” Clark said.

New York has been up and down without Stewart, who said she plans to be back by the end of the month from a bone bruise in her right knee.

The Seattle Storm will unveil a statue of Sue Bird on Saturday before the team faces Phoenix on Sunday. Seattle is the first franchise in WNBA history to dedicate a statue to a former player. Early next month, Bird will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Minnesota remained the No. 1 team in the poll with Atlanta and New York still behind the Lynx. Phoenix and Las Vegas followed the Liberty. The Aces are riding a four-game winning streak. Indiana, Los Angeles and Golden State are next. Seattle fell to ninth as the Storm have lost five straight games. Washington and Dallas came after the Storm with Chicago and Connecticut rounding out the poll.

A'ja Wilson of Las Vegas was the AP player of the week after averaging 25.3 points, 13 rebounds and 3.7 assists to help the Aces win all three of their games last week. She had the first 30-point, 20-rebound game in league history in a win over Connecticut on Sunday. Other players receiving votes included Kelsey Plum of Los Angeles and Alyssa Thomas of Phoenix.

New York at Minnesota, Saturday. The Lynx beat the Liberty in New York last Sunday and now don't play again until the two teams tip off in Minnesota. New York has back-to-back games in Los Angeles and Las Vegas before heading to Minnesota.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball