The 2024 WNBA Draft arrived on Monday night, and it was one of the most anticipated in the league’s nearly three decades of history.
That is mostly due to intrigue surrounding the No. 1 overall pick. Fresh off one of the greatest college basketball careers ever, Caitlin Clark was such a lock to be taken first by the Indiana Fever that sportsbooks took away the ability to bet on that outcome as of Monday morning.
Clark leaves Iowa with a treasure trove of records, highlighted by becoming the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I men’s or women’s college basketball history. She surpassed Kelsey Plum for the women’s mark in February and Pete Maravich for the overall total in March. Speaking of March, Clark also holds the all-time marks for NCAA Division I women’s tournament total points, total 3-pointers made, most 40-point games and most points in a single quarter of a championship game.
Additionally, Clark is the first women’s college basketball player to score more than 1,000 points in two separate seasons, and she holds the records for most total points in a season and most 3-pointers made in a season, the latter of which surpassed both the previous women’s and men’s marks.
Clark was also the consensus player of the year for the second year in a row.
Clark’s stardom also saw the popularity of women’s college basketball reach new heights, and it appears she could also end up making a similar impact on the WNBA. Fever season ticket sales skyrocketed after she declared for the WNBA Draft and even ticket sales for their road games have become dramatically more expensive, particularly a game against the Phoenix Mercury in the Footprint Center after some pointed comments made about Clark by Mercury superstar point guard Diana Taurasi.
Though the Fever have struggled through several lean years, they now have a dynamic star tandem in place between Clark and last year’s No. 1 pick, Aliyah Boston out of South Carolina. Boston, a dynamic post player who led South Carolina to the 2022 NCAA women’s title, will have plenty of chances to take advantage of Clark’s floor-stretching and passing ability.
But Clark was not the only paradigm-shifting women’s basketball star on the draft board Monday after a phenomenal college career. Stanford’s Cameron Brink, South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso, UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards and LSU’s Angel Reese also found their new professional homes. Here is how the full first round of the WNBA draft shook out:
1. Indiana Fever: Caitlin Clark, G, Iowa
2. Los Angeles Sparks: Cameron Brink, F, Stanford
3. Chicago Sky: Kamilla Cardoso, C, South Carolina
4. Los Angeles Sparks: Rickea Jackson, F, Tennessee
5. Dallas Wings: Jacy Sheldon, G, Ohio State
6. Washington Mystics: Aaliyah Edwards, F, UConn
7. Chicago Sky: Angel Reese, F, LSU
8. Minnesota Lynx: Alissa Pili, F, Utah
9. Dallas Wings: Carla Leite, PG, France
10. Connecticut Sun: Leïla Lacan, PG, France
11. New York Liberty: Marquesha Davis, G, Ole Miss
12. Atlanta Dream: Reverend Puoch, F/C, Australia
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2024-04-16 00:53:58
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