Caitlin Clark, the all-time leading scorer in men’s and women’s college basketball, was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
There was no doubt that Clark, the star of the Iowa Hawkeyes for the past four seasons, would be the first pick in the draft in this very talented class. Now the Fever have Clark and 2023 No. 1 overall pick, center Aliyah Boston, up front.
Clark enters her rookie season in the WNBA with millions of fans already behind her after mesmerizing the sports world to the point where legendary South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has already dubbed her one of the greatest all-time in women’s basketball.
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Caitlin Clark poses for photos as she receives a gift from Tissot during the WNBA draft on April 14, 2024 in New York. (Melanie Fidler/NBAE via Getty Images)
Clark averaged 28.4 points in his four seasons with the Hawkeyes, including 31.6 points per game to go with 8.9 assists and 7.4 rebounds in his incredible 2023-24 senior season.
She broke LSU men’s basketball legend Pete Maravich’s all-time NCAA record last season, among many other accolades, which included NCAA tournament records en route to a national championship. Iowa ultimately lost to undefeated South Carolina.
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Clark finished his career with a total of 3,951 points, including 548 three-pointers made on 1,452 attempts for a 37.7% mark from beyond the arc.
It may not have been the way Clark wanted to end her college career, especially after losing the national title game to LSU the previous season, but her contributions to women’s basketball over the past two seasons were impossible to ignore.
The national title game drew 18.7 million viewers to ABC’s coverage with a peak of 24 million viewers during the game, according to ESPN. That’s 89% more than last season and 285% more than the 2022 national championship game.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark celebrates during the second half against LSU in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament at MVP Arena on April 1, 2024, in Albany, New York. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Additionally, it is the most-watched sporting event outside of American football and the Olympics since 2019.
Sure, the Gamecocks’ undefeated season helped the viewership, but the “Clark Effect” had been in full swing for months, with many hoping she could cap off her career with a national title.
This stardom should carry over to the WNBA, which already has many stars, like Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty, Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces and Nneka Ogwumike of the Seattle Storm, among others.
“I know there’s probably going to be a learning curve, but I’ve always had confidence in myself and that’s always what I remind myself of. You’re not here by accident,” Clark told “Today” before the draft.
“I think more than anything, I’m just really excited. It’s a dream. It’s something I wrote down on a piece of paper in second grade.”
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark celebrates after victory over LSU in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament at MVP Arena on April 1, 2024, in Albany, New York. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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The Fever will count on Clark’s abilities next season to help them return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Indiana finished 13-27 during the 40-game regular season last year after a record 5-31 and 6-26 last season. two seasons.
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