Current:Home > MarketsCaitlin Clark taken No. 1 in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, as expected -AssetLink
Caitlin Clark taken No. 1 in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, as expected
View
Date:2025-04-12 09:02:22
NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark admitted she was a bit nervous before being chosen with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, even though it was no surprise.
“I dreamed of this moment since I was in second grade, and it’s taken a lot of hard work, a lot of ups and downs, but more than anything, just trying to soak it in,” Clark said.
The former Iowa star became a household name among basketball fans during her record-breaking college career, and she will now try and help revive the Indiana franchise along with last season’s No. 1 pick, Aliyah Boston.
“The organization has one of the best post players in the entire world. My point guard eyes light up with that,” she said.
The Fever taking Clark had been a foregone conclusion since she announced on Feb. 29 she would turn pro. Nearly 17,000 tickets were claimed to watch the draft at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home to the Fever and the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.
Clark has helped bring millions of fans to the women’s game with her signature shots from the midcourt logo and passing ability. The NCAA’s all-time scoring leader was a big reason why a record 18.9 million viewers tuned in to the national championship game, which Iowa lost to unbeaten South Carolina. The Hawkeyes were also the national runners-up to LSU a year earlier.
Clark, who wore a white Prada jacket and skirt, hugged her parents and brothers and Iowa coach Lisa Bluder after she was drafted.
The draft was held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in front of 1,000 fans, who bought all the tickets within 15 minutes of them going on sale a few months ago.
Los Angeles chose Stanford’s Cameron Brink at No. 2. She’ll get to stay in California and will give the Sparks a two-way player. The prolific scorer was also the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. The Sparks needed to replace franchise player Nneka Ogwumike, who left for Seattle in free agency.
Chicago had the third pick and chose South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso before the Sparks were on the clock again and and selected Tennessee’s Rickea Jackson.
Dallas took Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon with the fifth pick.
The WNBA invited 15 players to the draft, including including Clark, Brink, Jackson and Cardoso. The others were Angel Reese of LSU; Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech; Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Muhl of UConn; Charisma Osborne of UCLA; Celeste Taylor and Sheldon of Ohio State; Alissa Pili of Utah; Marquesha Davis of Mississippi; Dyaisha Fair of Syracuse; and Nyadiew Puoch, an Australian who did not play college basketball in the U.S.
___
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
veryGood! (317)
Related
- British golfer Charley Hull blames injury, not lack of cigarettes, for poor Olympic start
- Which states could have abortion on the ballot in 2024?
- China gives Yang Jun, dual Australian national and dissident writer, suspended death sentence for espionage
- Closed since 1993, Fort Wingate in New Mexico now getting $1.1M for natural resource restoration
- 'Stranger Things' prequel 'The First Shadow' is headed to Broadway
- Save 36% on Peter Thomas Roth Retinol That Reduces Fine Lines & Wrinkles While You Sleep
- Henry Cavill Reveals Why He Doesn't Like Sex Scenes
- Stock market today: Asian shares are mostly higher, tracking gains on Wall Street
- Plunge Into These Olympic Artistic Swimmers’ Hair and Makeup Secrets
- South Carolina wants to resume executions with firing squad and electric chair, says instantaneous or painless death not mandated
Ranking
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- A teenage worker died in a poultry plant. His mother is suing the companies that hired him
- RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel has discussed stepping down, AP sources say. But no decision has been made
- Tennessee militia member planned to attack US border agents, feds say
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- FAA tells Congress not to raise the mandatory retirement for pilots until it can study the issue
- Wisconsin teen pleads no contest in bonfire explosion that burned at least 17
- What’s next as Trump tries to stave off his 2020 election trial? All eyes are on the Supreme Court
Recommendation
Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
State Senate committee rejects northern Virginia casino bill
Paris is poised to triple parking charges for SUVs to almost $20 per hour
The Census Bureau is dropping a controversial proposal to change disability statistics
In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
Wisconsin justice included horses in ads as vulgar joke about opponent, campaign manager says
Minnesota woman accused of trying to get twin sister to take fall for fatal Amish buggy crash
Did pandemic business support work?