Caitlin Clark Selected First Overall by Indiana Fever During 2024 WNBA Draft

It's the start of a new chapter for Caitlin Clark.

The 22-year-old basketball star, who broke records with the Iowa Hawkeyes, was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft on Monday, April 15.

The WNBA shared the announcement on X (formerly known as Twitter), writing, "With the 1st pick in the 2024 #WNBADraft, presented by @StateFarm, the @IndianaFever select @CaitlinClark22 of @IowaWBB✨✨."

Clark was supported by her parents, Brent and Anne Nizzi-Clark, her brothers Colin and Blake, and her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, during the draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Stanford's Cameron Brink was drafted second behind Clark to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Clark will play her first game with the Fever when Indiana's season tips off against the Connecticut Sun on May 14.

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Clark became a household name during her tenure with the Hawkeyes and was among the class of star college players who helped the women's NCAA tournament bring in record viewership this season.

After the Hawkeyes were defeated by the South Carolina Gamecocks 87-75 on April 7,ESPNannounced that it was the most-watched event in the United States since 2019.

Citing data from Nielsen, the sports media company explained on Monday, April 8, that the game broke viewership records, averaging 18.7 million viewers on ABC and ESPN.

According to ESPN, "The only sporting events in the United States to draw a bigger TV audience since 2019 have been football, the World Cup, and the -

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Olympics."

In 2023, Clark was named the NCAA National Player of the Year.

Her popularity helped Iowa shatter attendance records even before her final college season tipped off.

In October, the Hawkeyes moved their pre-season game against the Blue Demons to Kinnick Stadium from their usual Carver-Hawkeye Arena due to ticket demands.

The stands at Kinnick Stadium were filled with 55,646 fans, a figure that shattered the NCAA’s single-session attendance record by over 26,000 people.

The "Crossover at Kinnick," a charity exhibition for the neighboring Children’s Hospital, also had the highest attendance of any game in NCAA women's basketball history, perthe association.

In March, Clark surpassed the late Louisiana State University (LSU) basketball player “Pistol” Pete Maravich to become the highest all-time basketball scorer in NCAA Division I basketball, male or female.

When she initially announced she was entering the WNBA draft in March, Clark said, "It's impossible to fully express my gratitude to everyone who has supported me during my time at Iowa."

She went on to thank her teammates, "who made the last four years the best," her coaches, trainers and staff, "who always let me be me," the Hawkeyes fans, "who filled Carver every night," and "everyone who came out to support us across the country, especially the young kids."

Concluding her statement, Clark thanked her family for their unwavering support. "Most importantly, none of this would have been possible without my family and friends who have been by my side through it all. Because of you, my dreams came true."

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