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

During her record-breaking college career, the former Iowa star skyrocketed to household name status among basketball fans. Now, she’s poised to join forces with last season’s No. 1 pick, Aliyah Boston, in an effort to breathe new life into the Indiana franchise.

“The organization has one of the best post players in the entire world. My point guard eyes light up with that,” she said.

It had been widely expected that the Fever would select Clark ever since she announced her decision to turn pro on Feb. 29. Almost 17,000 tickets were snapped up to witness the draft at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the home arena shared by the Fever and the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.

Clark’s remarkable long-range shots and playmaking skills have attracted millions of fans to the women’s game. As the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, she played a significant role in drawing a record-breaking 18.9 million viewers to the national championship game, despite Iowa’s loss to undefeated South Carolina. Just a year earlier, the Hawkeyes were national runners-up to LSU.

After being drafted, Clark, dressed in a white Prada jacket and skirt, shared emotional hugs with her parents, brothers, and Iowa coach Lisa Bluder.

The draft took place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in front of 1,000 fans, who snapped up all the tickets within 15 minutes of them being released several months ago.

During an Iowa women’s basketball team celebration on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa, Caitlin Clark sat alongside coach Lisa Bluder and guard Kate Martin as she learned that her jersey number, 22, would be retired, bidding farewell to Iowa.

At the No. 2 spot, the Los Angeles Sparks selected Stanford’s Cameron Brink, allowing her to remain in California and providing the Sparks with a versatile player.

“When they called my name, a huge wave of emotions hit me,” Brink said. “I saw my mom tearing up and my dad and it hit home.”

A prolific scorer, Brink 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. Brink’s godmother, Sonya Curry, is the mother of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry.

“I FaceTimed Steph five minutes before the show started and he said have fun with it,” Brink said. “He can share so much great advice since he’s been through this. Make stuff like this fun as it can be stressed.”

With the third pick, Chicago selected Kamilla Cardoso from South Carolina. Then, before the Sparks made their next selection, they opted for Rickea Jackson from Tennessee.

Cardoso had a packed schedule, celebrating South Carolina’s national championship victory to cap off an undefeated season. She joined her team for the championship parade on Sunday before heading to New York for the draft.

Dallas chose Jacy Sheldon, a guard from Ohio State, with the fifth pick. Washington followed by drafting Aaliyah Edwards from UConn at number six, before Chicago grabbed Angel Reese from LSU at No. 7, pairing her with Cardoso.

“She’s a great player and I’m a great player. Nobody’s going to get no rebounds on us,” the 6-foot-7 Cardoso said, laughing.

Minnesota, which had swapped picks with Chicago, drafted Alissa Pili of Utah eighth.

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