Caitlin Clark declares for 2024 WNBA Draft, will soon be selected by the Indiana Fever at No. 1
The Iowa sharpshooter has been the best player in college basketball this season. The Fever own the No. 1 pick in the draft, which will be held on April 15, 2024.
Caitlin Clark will soon be starting at guard for the Indiana Fever.
Not yet.
Not officially until April 15 when WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert reads her name at the draft to be held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. But this will be the easiest decision Fever general manager Lin Dunn has ever made.
The Fever got one massive step closer to bringing No. 22 to Indianapolis on Thursday afternoon when Clark officially declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft.
HAWKEYE NATION
While this season is far from over and we have a lot more goals to achieve, it will be my last one at lowa. I am excited to be entering the 2024 WNBA Draft.
It is impossible to fully express my gratitude to everyone who has supported me during my time at lowa - my teammates, who made the last four years the best; my coaches, trainers, and staff who always let me be me; Hawkeye fans who filled Carver every night; and everyone who came out to support us across the country, especially the young kids.
Most importantly, none of this would have been possible without my family and friends who have been by my side through it all.
Because of all of you, my dreams
Clark has the option to return to the University of Iowa for a fifth season because of the extra year granted due to Covid-19, but she will not take it. It’s on to the pros — and to Indianapolis — for Clark.
“Letssssss get it!!!! Welcome to Indy Caitlin,” Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings tweeted at Clark.
Together with forward Aliyah Boston, the No. 1 pick last year, this young, dynamic duo will be fun to watch for years to come.
That sound you’re hearing is phone lines ringing over at the Fever offices inside the St. Vincent Center. Clark is the best player in college basketball this season, the all-time leading scorer in the women’s game and soon, will be a big boost for basketball in Indiana.
Especially for the Fever.
For ticket sales, TV, sponsorships, merchandise — everything.
That’s why they celebrated securing the No. 1 pick like this:
It’s The Caitlin Clark Effect, which I wrote about last week after driving down to Bloomington to see two top-15 teams square off inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The game sold out more than seven weeks in advance.
Dunn, head coach Christie Sides and guard Grace Berger, who played at IU, were also in attendance.
“Caitlin, obviously, is showing everybody the player she is, the person she is,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Fieldhouse Files during NBA All-Star Weekend.
“There’s a lot of other generational talent in the NCAA right now so I think the quality of the game and the strength of the talent coming out from the NCAA, including Caitlin, is amazing.
“And these players will kind of be the first class coming out with huge followings, not just from social media but also their NIL deals and they have national brands for their NIL deals. People don’t process how they have the Gatorades, State Farms and the Nikes — and those are our partners, too, in the W so those will all translate over beautifully. They’ll have more of a national platform when they get to the W so we’re excited for Caitlin and everybody else that will come in over the next couple of years.”
According to a graphic shared by the Big Ten Conference, Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes are responsible for the most-watched women’s basketball game on six — yes, SIX — different networks.
ABC, FOX and NBC, plus the Big Ten Network, Fox Sports 1 and Peacock.
The Pacers are currently in the air bound for New Orleans. I’m pretty sure their charter flight has Wi-Fi. If not, they'll be landing soon to this significant news.
We're all waiting to hear what Tyrese Haliburton, an Iowa State product, will have to say about Clark, a Hawkeye, joining him soon in Indianapolis. Just imagine the collective wisdom shared, the passing, shooting contests — and the joy expressed by both players on the court.
Coincidentally, Clark declared for the WNBA Draft on his birthday.
Also of note: Clark’s boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, is a basketball assistant with the Pacers this season.
Clark is averaging 32.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game this season while shooting 40% from beyond the arc.
Indiana Fever Schedule
April 15: WNBA Draft
May 3: Preseason Game 1 at Dallas
May 10: Preseason Game 2 v Atlanta
May 14: Opening night at Connecticut
May 16: Home opener v New York
It’s happening! The rare WIN-WIN-WIN.
Caitlin wins. We get her. Well accept her. We’ll give her a platform to the be the person she wants to be.
PS&E wins. This is a huge, organic boon to the entire city/state. Indiana is basketball, and Caitlin Clark is one of the best to have played it in a while, or so I’m told. This is a match made in heaven.
I guess I already said it but the community wins. CC is a top notch basketball player but I’m willing to bet she’s also an elite human being and we get to help nurture it and watch her grow into a big, beautiful, jump shooting flower.