Sports
Caitlin Clark just declared for WNBA draft. And the Indiana Fever have the No. 1 pick… – IndyStar
INDIANAPOLIS ― Take a breath, Indiana Fever fans. Caitlin Clark has officially declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft.
The Iowa phenom posted her intentions on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday afternoon.
“While this season is far from over and we have a lot more goals to achieve, it will be my last one at Iowa. I am excited to be entering the 2024 WNBA Draft,” Clark wrote. “It is impossible to fully express my gratitude to everyone who has supported me during my time at Iowa ― my teammates, who made the last four years the best; my coaches, trainers, and staff who always let me be me; Hawkeye fans who filled Carver every night; and everyone who came out to support us across the country, especially the young kids.
“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 all of you, my dreams came true.”
Clark is widely regarded to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, which the Indiana Fever have. The reigning national player of the year is averaging 32.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game in her senior season. She is also a triple-double machine, with 17 triple-doubles in her career so far and two recently back-to-back against Illinois and at Minnesota.
This is the second straight season that the Fever have the No. 1 pick in the draft; they chose center Aliyah Boston with the top pick in 2023.
The Fever’s coaches and front office staff have had their eyes on Clark for a while. Coach Christie Sides attended an Iowa game against Loyola-Chicago in Iowa City about a week after the WNBA draft lottery in December, while Fever assistant GM Hillary Spears attended the Iowa-Purdue game at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette in January.
“I know how well people support women’s basketball here,” Clark said following Iowa’s win over Purdue in January. “I think that’s pretty evident when we take a trip to Purdue, a trip to Indiana.”
Both Sides and general manager Lin Dunn were at Iowa’s game against IU last week in Bloomington.
After Clark’s news broke Thursday, the Fever’s X account posted “We’re simply reminding you that there are 46 days until the 2024 WNBA Draft.” And a separate post about season tickets with the caption, “Hop on board.”
You get the idea.
Clark will likely make around $75,000 as a base salary in her first season in the WNBA. Her national brand deals with Nike, State Farm, Gatorade, Buick and others will likely carry over to her professional life, though, making her salary essentially a non-factor.
‘Rivalries & household names’:How Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark can help Fever, WNBA fandom
She will eventually be able to make up to $250,000 on a supermax deal, which will come after five years in the league. She also has opportunities to make money through marketing directly with the league — she could make up to $250,000 on a WNBA Player Marketing Agreement, and $100,000 on a Team Marketing Agreement.
