Indiana Fever Select Caitlin Clark with No. 1 Overall Pick in 2024 WNBA Draft
Caitlin Clark is officially heading to the Indiana Fever. The two-time Naismith National Player of the Year was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in Monday night's 2024 WNBA Draft.
The selection comes as no surprise, as Clark has been the projected No. 1 pick since before the start of the 2023-24 women's college basketball season. the Iowa standout only solidified her status as the top player available in this year's class with her play.
Clark became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer for both women's and men's college basketball. She surpassed Washington's Kelsey Plum (3,527 points) and LSU's Pete Maravich (3,667 points) by scoring a total of 3,951 points in her four-year career with the Hawkeyes.
In her senior season, Clark averaged 31.6 points, 8.9 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game. She helped lead the Hawkeyes to a 34-5 record, which included a 15-3 mark in Big Ten play. Although Iowa did not win the Big Ten regular season crown, it did win its third straight conference tournament championship.
The Hawkeyes also earned a trip to the national championship game for a second consecutive season. Iowa was defeated by an undefeated South Carolina squad, despite a performance from Clark that included 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
With Clark heading to the Fever, she'll team up with last year's WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston. The South Carolina product was the top overall selection in the 2023 WNBA Draft.
Boston put together an impressive rookie campaign in her first season in the league. In her first year with the Fever, the 6-foot-5 forward averaged 14.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. In addition to being named the WNBA Rookie of the Year, Boston was also a WNBA All-Star and was named to the All-Rookie team.
Fever general manager Lin Dunn understands how having the No. 1 pick in back-to-back seasons can be a franchise-changing situation. She talked about that aspect in February after Indiana learned its fate in this year's draft.
"Fortunately, I've had that experience with two, back-to-back first round picks," said Dunn, reflecting on her time with the Seattle Storm. "It's been a long time, but I know what an impact it can have on a franchise, when we were able to select Lauren Jackson (2001) and Sue Bird (2002). The rest is history."
There's already a lot of excitement building around Clark and her future with the Fever. Earlier this month, the WNBA announced that 36 of the team's 40 games will air on national television.
Related stories on the WNBA Draft
- 2024 WNBA DRAFT ORDER, TV INFO: The 2024 WNBA Draft is scheduled for Monday, April 15. Here's everything you need to know about the big night, including the draft order, start time, television information and more. CLICK HERE
- CLARK, HIDALGO COACH IN SPECIAL OLYMPICS: Iowa's Caitlin Clark and Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo put on their coaching caps last week, stopping by the Special Olympics Southern California to pitch in for a basketball game. CLICK HERE