NEW YORK—Caitlin Clark admitted she was a bit nervous Monday night before being chosen with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, even though it was no surprise.
“I dreamed of this moment since I was in second grade, and it’s taken a lot of hard work, a lot of ups and downs, but more than anything, just trying to soak it in,” Clark said.
The former University of Iowa star became a household name among basketball fans during her record-breaking college career, and she will now try and help revive the Indiana franchise along with last season’s No. 1 pick, Aliyah Boston. The two previously played together on a USA Basketball under-19 team.
“Obviously, going to an organization that has, in my eyes, one of the best post players in the entire world,” Clark said. “My point-guard eyes just light up at that. And obviously, Aliyah has been one of my teammates before. I’m excited. I can’t wait.”
The Fever taking Clark had been a foregone conclusion since she announced Feb. 29 she would pass up another potential season at Iowa in order to turn pro. Nearly 17,000 tickets were claimed to watch the draft on television at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home to the Fever and the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.
Clark has helped bring millions of fans to the women’s game with her signature shots from the midcourt logo, as well as her uncanny passing ability. The NCAA’s all-time scoring leader was a big reason why a record 18.9 million viewers tuned in to the national championship game, which Iowa lost to unbeaten South Carolina. The Hawkeyes were also the national runners-up to Louisiana State a year earlier.
It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for Clark. After the title game, she flew to Los Angeles to receive the John R. Wooden Award, and then came to New York for an appearance on “Saturday Night Live.”
“I think, obviously, the course of the last few weeks has been pretty insane in my life, the last two months playing basketball as long as I possibly could in my college career,” Clark said. “I think the biggest thing is I’m just very lucky to be in this moment, and all these opportunities and these things, they’re once in a lifetime.”
Clark, who wore a white Prada jacket and skirt, hugged her parents, brothers, and Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder after she was drafted.
The draft was held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in front of 1,000 fans, who bought all the tickets within 15 minutes of them going on sale a few months ago.
With the second and fourth selections in the first round, the Los Angeles Sparks chose Stanford forward Cameron Brink and Tennessee forward Rickea Jackson, respectively.
“When they called my name, a huge wave of emotions hit me,” Brink said. “I saw my mom tearing up, and my dad, and it hit home.”
A prolific scorer, Brink was also the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. The Sparks needed to replace franchise player Nneka Ogwumike, another former Stanford star, who left for the Seattle Storm via free agency.
Brink’s godmother, Sonya Curry, is the mother of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry.
“I FaceTimed Steph five minutes before the show started and he said have fun with it,” Brink said. “He can share so much great advice since he’s been through this. Make stuff like this fun as it can be.”
With a third-round pick, the Sparks chose Southern California guard McKenzie Forbes, whose Trojans teammate, forward Kaitlyn Davis, also went in the third round, to the New York Liberty.
UCLA guard Charisma Osborne was the last of the 15 players invited to the draft to get chosen, going with the first pick of the third round to the Phoenix Mercury. Osborne said getting chosen so late didn’t faze her.
“I was nervous the entire night. My feelings didn’t change,” she said. “I heard my name and was so excited. I can’t wait to get to work in Phoenix.”
With the third overall selection, the Chicago Sky tabbed South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso, who had quite the busy week. Cardoso helped the Gamecocks win the national championship to complete an undefeated season, then took part in the team’s championship parade on Sunday before traveling to New York.
The Dallas Wings took Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon with the fifth pick, and the Washington Mystics drafted forward Aaliyah Edwards of Connecticut sixth before Chicago took LSU forward Angel Reese at No. 7, pairing her with Cardoso.
“She’s a great player, and I’m a great player. Nobody’s going to get no rebounds on us,” the 6-foot-7 Cardoso said, laughing.
The Minnesota Lynx, which had swapped picks with Chicago, drafted Utah forward Alissa Pili eighth.
Two French guards, Carla Leite and Leila Lacan, went next, to Dallas and the Connecticut Sun, respectively.
New York drafted Mississippi guard Marquesha Davis at No. 11, and the Atlanta Dream closed out the first round by taking Australian forward-center Nyadiew Puoch.
The two-time defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces didn’t have a first-round pick, but made the most of three second-round choices.
The Aces chose Syracuse guard Dyaisha Fair, who finished as the third-leading scorer in NCAA Division I history, with the 16th pick. Two picks later, they selected Iowa guard Kate Martin, and closed out the round by drafting Virginia Tech center Elizabeth Kitley, who is recovering from a torn ACL and showed up to the draft on crutches.
