Indiana Fever select Caitlin Clark with No. 1 overall pick in 2024 WNBA Draft

As Caitlin Clark broke record after record at Iowa this year, another team was waiting in the wings as she wrapped up her college career. When that final buzzer sounded in the season finale, it meant she would be ready to take on her next challenge in the WNBA as the presumptive No. 1 pick.

Monday night, the Indiana Fever finally got to announce what everyone expected. The franchise selected Clark as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, and she made history as the second Hawkeye to ever go in the first round.

Indiana won the lottery in December 2023, just as Clark and Iowa were winding down the non-conference schedule and getting ready for Big Ten play. Of course, the biggest question left to answer was if she’d stay in college or declare for the draft. She had the COVID-19 year at her disposal which gave her the option to return to Iowa for one more season.

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Prior to the Hawkeyes’ senior night in February, Clark made her decision official. Indiana capitalized right away, with season ticket prices doubling as anticipation grew for college basketball’s all-time leading scorer to arrive in the WNBA.

Clark put together a huge year as a senior this past season, setting new career highs with 31.6 points and 8.9 assists to help Iowa return to the national championship once again. Those numbers helped her rewrite the record book – first passing Kelsey Plum for the NCAA women’s scoring record, then passing Lynette Woodard for the all-time women’s college basketball mark and finally, moving ahead of Pete Maravich to become the top scorer in Division I history.

That made her the immediate favorite to become the No. 1 overall pick in Monday’s draft, although there were questions about how her game would translate to the WNBA. Her logo three-pointers captivated the nation, but as with any rookie, questions continued about whether she could repeat that success at the next level.

According to ESPN’s Andraya Carter, though, scoring is just one part of Clark’s game. Her most important trait will be what leads her to shine in the W – passing.

“I think Caitlin’s game translates immediately, just in terms of her range, her ability to hit shots and her vision,” Carter said of Clark on a Zoom call with reporters ahead of the draft. “People talk about Caitlin’s scoring, but her passing is next-level. Like, when we say next-level, she’s been a pro passer, as well, in her game.

“So when you think about her playing alongside Aliyah Boston, NaLyssa [Smith], when you think about her playing alongside Kelsey Mitchell. Her ability to find her teammates and set them up for success, I think, will immediately translate because people will defend her like she’s a scorer. … When you watch Caitlin play in college, she makes the right decisions – you say play the right way. She makes the right reads, she gets the ball where it’s supposed to go. So I think that translates.”