Caitlin Clark helps light Empire State Building ahead of WNBA Draft
NEW YORK (WISH) — The time has finally come.
Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark expects to hear her name called as the No. 1 overall pick in Monday night’s WNBA Draft. The Indiana Fever own that first pick for the second straight year.
Before the big night, Clark and fellow expectant draftees were honored at the Empire State Building. Clark and South Carolina star Kamilla Cardoso pulled the lever together to ceremonially light the iconic New York building in orange before it’s beaming the color of the WNBA the night of the draft.
During the ceremony, you could hear banging on the sole couple of glass “emergency exit” doors where young Clark fans found out where she was and excited cheered waving Clark’s Iowa jerseys through the window.
Clark and crew were then ushered up 86 floors to the viewing platform on top of what once was the tallest building in New York City. Clark joked around with fellow players and viewed the skyline through the viewfinder before snapping a few more photos.
This was just the next event on Clark’s packed weekend schedule. On Saturday, she was a surprise guest on “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live,” schooling Michael Che with jokes “she wrote” at his expense.
Clark will also be honored with a billboard in Times Square thanks to partners State Farm. Clark became the first collegiate athlete to sign with State Farm earlier this season.
For the first time in years, the WNBA Draft will allow fans inside the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Filling the theater will be 1,000 lucky fans that got tickets before the event sold out in 15 minutes.
The WNBA Draft begins at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time with the Fever making the very first pick.