Sports
Why aren't Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese in the WNBA draft? – New York Post
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Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese share more in common than being the protagonists of the most-watched women’s college basketball game in history and several cycles of ensuing drama about taunting, disrespectful defense and race that even enveloped the First Lady.
Clark, the player of the year and highlight-reel guard for Iowa, and Reese, the tenacious double-double machine for national champion LSU, are two of the best pro prospects in women’s basketball.
And neither player is eligible for the 2023 WNBA Draft.
Unlike the “one-and-done” rule in the NBA draft, U.S.-based players must be four years out of high school to qualify for the WNBA draft — with one exception.
A college junior can declare for the WNBA draft if she turns 22 during the calendar year of the draft.
Clark, born in January 2002, misses the cutoff by a matter of weeks.
Reese, born in May 2002, also will not turn 22 until 2024.
Clark and Reese are for now in line to be top picks in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
However, both players are entitled to an extra year of college eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and could elect to put off turning pro and joining the WNBA until 2025.
(Indeed, LSU listed Reese this season as a sophomore, though she was in her third year of playing in college, because she has two years of eligibility remaining.)
The advent of name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities for college players has largely removed the financial incentive to turn pro.
Reese, for example, reportedly has 17 different sponsorships through NIL deals.
Clark likewise is earning in the six figures through her NIL portfolio.
The top picks of the 2022 WNBA Draft made a little over $72,000 in salary as rookies, and stand to make slightly under $320,000 over the life of a four-year rookie-scale contract.
WNBA players can — and often do — supplement their earnings by competing overseas during the league’s offseason.
Clark, 21, finished the season with averages of 27.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and a nation-leading 8.6 assists per game.
She recorded five triple-doubles (plus four more game in which she finished with a 9), and set the record for most points scored in an NCAA Tournament.
Reese, 20, averaged 23.0 points and 15.4 rebounds per game, notching a record-setting 34 double-doubles in 36 games.
Two of the other top juniors in the country, UConn point guard Paige Bueckers (the 2021 player of the year who missed all of the past season due to a torn ACL) and Stanford forward Cameron Brink, were eligible for the 2023 draft because they have 2001 birthdays, but both players have said they will return to college for the 2023-24 season.
The 2023 WNBA Draft will be held on Monday, April 10.
South Carolina center Aliyah Boston is expected to be drafted No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever.
