Caitlin Clark admitted she was a bit nervous before being chosen with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, even though it was no surprise.
“I dreamed of this moment since I was in second grade, and it’s taken a lot of hard work, a lot of ups and downs, but more than anything, just trying to soak it in,” Clark said.
The former Iowa star became a household name among basketball fans during her record-breaking college career, and she will now try and help revive the Indiana franchise along with last season’s No. 1 pick, Aliyah Boston, who previously played with Clark on a USA Basketball Under-19 team.
The Fever taking Clark had been a foregone conclusion since she announced on Feb. 29 she would turn pro. Nearly 17,000 tickets were claimed to watch the draft at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home to the Fever and the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.
The ticket site StubHub said they've already seen a huge surge in demand for tickets with overall sales for the Fever up 13 times last year's start. Indiana still hasn't released how many tickets its sold this season.
Los Angeles chose Stanford’s Cameron Brink at No. 2.
Chicago had the third pick and chose South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso before the Sparks were on the clock again and and selected Tennessee’s Rickea Jackson.
Dallas took Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon with the fifth pick. Washington drafted Aaliyah Edwards of UConn sixth before Chicago took LSU’s Angel Reese at No. 7, pairing her with Cardoso.
Clark, Reese and a deep WNBA draft class hope the momentum they created lifting women’s college basketball to new heights carries over to the pros.
“We’re not just basketball players, we’re super impactful to the community, the people around us, the little kids that look up to us, and being able to also be nationwide, everybody knows us everywhere we go,” Reese said. “Our lives aren’t normal. We might get a little bit of normalcy going into the league now, but I’m just excited to be a trailblazer. I’m excited to be a part of history, and just continue to see the future, and I know it’s bright.”
They'll need to perform on the court for that momentum to continue at the next level and boost the league which is coming off its own strong year. The WNBA just had its most-watched season in 21 years, averaging 462,000 viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and CBS.
The league also had its most-watched Finals in 20 years that featured Las Vegas and New York. It was up 36% from the previous season. The league’s attendance rose 16% — it’s highest figure since 2018. Throw Clark into the mix and that number could grow exponentially.
Clark, who finished as the NCAA's all-time scoring leader, has helped bring millions of new fans to the game with her signature logo shots and dazzling passing ability. The Iowa star was a big reason why a record 18.9 million viewers tuned in to the NCAA championship game where South Carolina beat the Hawkeyes.
“It's still hard for me to wrap my head around,” Clark said of the ratings, which peaked at 24 million viewers for the title game.
Clark, who grew up in Iowa, was happy to go to another basketball crazed state in Indiana.
“I can’t imagine a more perfect fit, a better place for me to start my professional career, an organization that really just believes in women’s basketball and wants to do everything the right way,” she said. “So I couldn’t be more excited to get there.”
Clark and Cameron Brink have said many times that it would be wrong not to honor those who came before them that helped paved the way.
“I just want to continue the legacy of growing the sport, and I feel like I’ve said this a lot today, but we really have to look back at the women before us, and I know people keep saying this is a historic draft class but there were many, many talented draft classes before us,” she said.
“I just want to give my props to the Dawn Staleys, Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslies because they are why I’m here, because I watched them growing up. I just hope that I can continue that legacy for younger girls.”
