Caitlin Clark declares for 2024 WNBA Draft
After rewriting the collegiate record book during four seasons at Iowa, Caitlin Clark announced Thursday that she will enter the upcoming WNBA Draft and forgo the opportunity to return to the Hawkeyes for a fifth year.
Clark’s decision, which comes just days before Iowa’s final home game of the regular season against No. 2 Ohio State, loomed over both college and professional play in recent weeks as they took on both the women’s NCAA Division I and the put women’s basketball on the map for major universities. scoring records.
“This season is far from over and we have many more goals to achieve,” she said in an announcement on social media on Thursday. Still, Clark paved the way to become the No. 1 pick in the April draft for the Indiana Fever. Her professional debut is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated in WNBA history.
From her first game with the Hawkeyes in 2020, Clark’s impact was evident. She scored 27 points in 26 minutes in her collegiate debut, displaying the offensive brilliance that has become commonplace during her career in Iowa City. She recorded the only 40-point triple-double in NCAA Tournament history and is the only player in the NCAA era to record 3,000 points, 750 rebounds and 750 assists. She set program records for single-game scoring (49) and career points, with 3,650 points, while leading the Hawkeyes to two conference tournament championships and their first Final Four berth since 1993. Her team lost to Louisiana State in the NCAA finals. last season.
“It is impossible to fully express my gratitude to everyone who supported me during my time at Iowa – my teammates, who have made the best of the last four years; my coaches, trainers and staff who always let me be myself,” Clark said. “Hawkeye fans who filled Carver every night; and everyone who came to support us across the country, especially the young children.
— Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) February 29, 2024
“The most important thing is that none of this would have been possible without my family and friends who have been by my side through it all. Thanks to all of you, my dreams came true.”
Beyond all the counting stats, Clark’s impact can be seen and felt in the frenzy surrounding every game she plays. Of the Hawkeyes’ 32 regular-season games this season, 30 sold out or set attendance records for women’s basketball — the exceptions being Iowa’s neutral-court games during a Thanksgiving tournament. Before Thursday’s announcement, the average ticket price for Iowa’s home finale against the Buckeyes was already expected to be more than $555, according to TickPick, making it the most expensive women’s basketball game ever. That value should only increase following news of her decision. Clark’s presence has also generated record ratings, as she and Iowa participated in the most-watched women’s basketball game ever on six different networks.
The 6-foot-4 guard entered her senior season saying she was going to “treat this year like it’s my last year.” She said she would decide based on her feelings whether she would stay in Iowa City or turn pro. With an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she vowed not to let the choice of whether to stay or go weigh on her. She underscored that Thursday, while still saying she was excited about what was to come. Clark currently leads the nation in points (32.2) and assists (8.7) per game, and is favored to take home Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season.
In mid-December, when the Fever learned they would have the No. 1 pick for the second straight year, general manager Lin Dunn acknowledged that numerous potential draftees who had the option to return to school “left a little bit of a question as to who we had to be’. could get.” But Dunn said she would encourage any players who could go to the WNBA to go to the W. “I’m ready for them to come out, go to the pros, move on with their lives, let someone else play. I encourage them all to come out,” Dunn said.
No. 1⏳
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) February 29, 2024
Dunn, and those with the Fever, are undoubtedly euphoric about the opportunity to add Clark to their roster alongside 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston, who was the league’s unanimous Rookie of the Year last summer. “I think how versatile she is,” Boston said The Athletics earlier this season about what makes Clark special. “Just her vision on the field. I think that’s super important, and I think she’s just doing a great job with that at Iowa.
Indiana, which has won just 18 games over the past two seasons combined, is looking to make its first postseason appearance since 2016 and break the league’s longest active playoff drought. In the immediate aftermath of Clark’s decision, the team’s social media accounts sent out a message reminding fans that season tickets were available, and urging them to “jump on board.” Fever watcher Erica Wheeler said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that she was already fielding requests from friends and family, as well as some people she hadn’t heard from in a long time who wanted tickets. ‘I can’t help them’ she said.
Clark has already worked with major brands like Gatorade, Nike and State Farm, and her national platform will travel with her from Iowa to Indiana. The WNBA will also benefit from her presence. In its 27th season last summer, the league reached more than 36 million viewers across all national networks, a 27 percent increase from 2022 and the highest since 2008. The league’s All-Star Game was the most watched in 16 years, and the 2023 WNBA Finals, featuring the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty, was the most watched in two decades. Clark’s arrival, which will officially take place on Monday, April 15, when the draft takes place in Brooklyn, will likely only accelerate that trend and interest in the sport.
“It’s great for women’s basketball. It will be great for the WNBA if she gets in. Her play will translate,” said Becky Hammon, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and the coach of the two-time defending champion Aces. The Athletics mid-January. ‘She’s special. She is generational.”
The Athletics James Boyd contributed to this report.
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(Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)