The Indiana Fever officially selected Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The 6-foot guard became Division I college basketball's all-time leading scorer while playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes this past season, and now she is on a mission to prove her generational offensive power can translate to the professional level.
"I've dreamed of this moment since I was in second grade," Clark told ESPN after being drafted. "It's taken a lot of hard work, a lot of ups and downs. More than anything, I'm just trying to soak it in."
Here is a look at the crowd reaction from the Fever's watch party:
Caitlin Clark is an Indiana Fever. #WNBADraft pic.twitter.com/LBWhnalnZA
— Zion Brown (@z10nbr0wn) April 15, 2024
Clark officially finished her college career with 3,951 career points. She was an incredible offensive weapon for the Hawkeyes not just because of her scoring, but also her ability to create shots for teammates with great court vision and impressive passing skills.
An Iowa native, Clark led the nation in scoring and assists the past two seasons while guiding the Hawkeyes to back-to-back national championship game appearances. The furthest the program had gotten before in the NCAA Women's Tournament was a Final Four appearance in 1993.
In her senior year, Clark averaged 31.6 points per game and registered 346 assists. Shooting from the logo was a common occurrence for Clark, and those long-range shooting abilities helped her pass the single-season 3-point record set by Stephen Curry during his time at Davidson.
The two-time Naismith Women's College Player of the Year (2023, 2024) left such an impact at Iowa that the Hawkeyes announced they will be retiring her No. 22 jersey.
"I always just believed in myself," Clark said. "I went to Iowa with the goal of taking us to the Final Four. We did it twice, we went to two national championships, four Big Ten championships. I think I just believed in myself and my parents always instilled confidence in me from a young age. ... I earned this and that's why I'm so proud of it."
All Iowa home games were sold out during the 2023-24 campaign, and at least some of that buzz is expected to carry over to the WNBA as the Fever have locked in 36 nationally televised games for the 2024 season.
"The night she declared, somebody texted me and I about fell off my couch, to tell you the truth," Fever general manager Lin Dunn told reporters after the pick.
The Fever had the league's worst offense in 2022 with just under 78 points per contest, then jumped to seventh place in 2023 with 81 points per game. Last season they averaged 18 assists per game, which was second to last in the league. Clark should be able to help in both of these categories.
"She has already had an impact and we hadn't even drafted her," Dunn said. "Let's see what's going to happen now that we have drafted her. She is coming to Indianapolis and she is going to be an intricate part of the Indiana Fever."
In Indiana, Clark will join former South Carolina star Aliyah Boston, last year's No. 1 overall pick. Boston was named the 2023 Rookie of the Year despite the Fever finishing the year with a 13-27 record.
Boston and Clark faced each other when Iowa defeated the Gamecocks in the 2023 Final Four in Dallas. Clark scored 41 points in that game, but now instead of rivals they will be teammates.
"You know she can shoot the ball, you know that she's going to get a lot of attention," Boston said of Clark earlier this month. "And because of that, her ability to find the right pass, make the pass, the timing of the pass, you see it all. Her teammates run the floor, being able to get out because you know when she has the ball in her hand, she's going to find you."
What number will Caitlin Clark wear for the Fever?
Caitlin Clark will wear her familiar number 22 for the Indiana Fever. You can now get Caitlin Clark Indiana Fever jerseys, hoodies, t-shirts, and more, all proudly displaying this record-breaking superstar's new home. Get Caitlin Clark jerseys here now.
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