Caitlin Clark to enter WNBA draft; Indiana Fever has 1st overall pick
(WISH) — Iowa’s superstar guard Caitlin Clark announced Thursday afternoon that she’s going to enter the WNBA Draft.
The Indiana Fever has the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, set for April 15 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.
The 22-year-old Clark wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “While this season is far from over and we have a lot more goals to achieve, it will be my last one at Iowa. 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 Iowa — 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 who have been a my side through it all. Because of all of you, my dreams came true.”
After the COVID-19 pandemic, NCAA athletes were given the option for a fifth year of eligibility.
On Wednesday, Clark scored 33 points to lead the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes to a 108-60 romp of Minnesota, pushing her past Lynette Woodard on the all-time list with 3,650 points.
Earlier this month, Clark passed Kelsey Plum (3,527) as the all-time NCAA women’s scoring leader. Woodard totaled 3,649 points from 1977-81 for Kansas when the sport was under the purveyance of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, before the NCAA began sanctioning women’s basketball with the 1981-82 season.
The WNBA season begins in 75 days, the Indiana Fever tweeted on Thursday. The team’s first home game vs. the New York Liberty will be 7 p.m. May 16 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
News 8 Sports Director Anthony Calhoun on social media shared a statement from Fever General Manager Lin Dunn: “Our staff is preparing for the upcoming WNBA Draft and we will select the best player available with the No.1 overall pick.”
The Democrat mayor of Indianapolis, Joe Hogsett, tweeted, “Looking forward to welcoming you to Indy, Caitlin.”
The Associated Press and News 8’s Jay Adkins contributed to this report.
