Caitlin Clark selected first overall by Indiana Fever in WNBA Draft

The Indiana Fever didn't deviate from the plan. Just as everyone suspected the moment she announced her entry to the 2024 WNBA Draft, Caitlin Clark has been selected first overall by the Fever. She is the third first-round pick from Iowa in WNBA history.

Clark becomes the first first-overall pick from any Iowa Hawkeye athletic program into any professional league since the Green Bay Packers took quarterback Randy Duncan first-overall in the 1959 NFL Draft.

The Fever showed their excitement at Clark's announcement in early March that she'd be taking her talents to the next level. It didn't take long for fan enthusiasm to catch up as ticket sales for Fever games shifted astronomically since Clark's announcement. According to ESPN, the Fever only admitted to a "spike" in sales, but the increase in resale ticket prices and allowing for pre-sale tickets for two games within a 15-day window indicate Clark's unprecedented impact.

Likewise, the WNBA is preparing to showcase Clark on a national scale as often as possible. Clark and the Fever will be featured nationally in 36 of their 40 regular season games. Clark's regular season debut will come May 14 as the Fever face the Connecticut Sun on ESPN2.

The Fever has been one of the worst-performing teams in the WNBA for some time, both on the court and in ticket sales. While Clark's popularity is helping with the ticket sales, her skills will have to facilitate the change on the court.

Indiana hasn't won more than 13 games in a season in seven years. In five of the last seven years, the Fever posted no better than single-digit wins. Indiana does have a history of winning, though. The Fever won the 2012 WNBA championship and appeared in two other Finals.

The Fever are hoping Clark is able to get them back to championship basketball, but she won't have to do it alone. Indiana head coach Christie Sides has been a part of four Final Four teams, as an assistant three times with LSU and as a player with Louisiana Tech in 1999.

Clark will join former South Carolina Gamecock great, and 2023 first overall pick, Aliyah Boston on the court. Clark and Boston figure to be a strong inside-out combo that will be tough for teams to guard against.

Clark leaves Iowa with an unparalleled legacy. She won five different Player of the Year awards two times each, was a three-time Unanimous First-Team All-American, three-time Big Ten Player of the Year, four-time First-Team All-Big Ten, and is a three-time gold medalist. Clark also led the NCAA in scoring and assists for three straight seasons and owns records for NCAA career points across men's and women's basketball, single-season and Big Ten career three-pointers, and Big Ten career assists. On top of all of that, Clark owns several Big Ten and NCAA Tournament records along with countless records and awards across the NCAA, Big Ten and Iowa record books.

Her No. 22 will rightfully be retired for the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball program. But she'll continue to wear the number as her career in the WNBA gets started where many more records, milestones and awards await her.

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