To no surprise, the Indiana Fever have selected Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Clark was one of the most obvious No. 1 picks in sports history, and the consensus top player in this year's draft.
Clark joins the Fever after putting together one of the greatest college basketball careers. Among her lengthy list of accolades, Clark is the two-time reigning AP Player of the Year, Naismith Player of the Year and a three-time AP All-American.
She has led NCAA women's basketball in scoring and assists three different times, including averaging a career-high 31.6 points per game during her final season at Iowa. She is the NCAA DI all-time scoring leader, finishing her career with 3,951 total points. Clark led Iowa to the NCAA Tournament during all four seasons with the Hawkeyes, advancing to the National Championship game in each of her two final seasons.
Clark's fame and notoriety helped bring in more viewers to college basketball, leading to the women's National Championship bringing in a record 18.7 million viewers. Now, the Fever will benefit from her presence. Before she was drafted, the Clark effect already hit the WNBA.
The Fever will have 36 of their 40 games nationally televised after having one such game a season ago. This is more televised games than the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, who will have 35 games nationally televised.
The Aces are also moving their matchup against the Fever to a larger stadium, one that holds around 8,000 more fans.
This is the second consecutive season that the Fever have held the No. 1 pick. After drafting former South Carolina star Aliyah Boston in 2023, they have now added Clark in what should form an incredible duo for the team. With these two on board, the Fever should do much better than when they finished 13-27 a year ago.
How Much Money Will Caitlin Clark Make in WNBA?
Clark is set to earn $76,535 as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA. While this is certainly low for a rookie coming into any national professional sports league, Clark will also be making plenty in endorsements. Clark has partnered up with many national brands, including Buick, Gatorade, State Farm, Xfinity and Nike, among other brands.
In college, Clark was one of the top earners for her name, image and likeness (NIL). Her deals are estimated to be valued around $3.1 million, making her one of the top NIL earning athletes in all of college sports. As she now enters the WNBA and goes professional, these endorsements should only continue for her.
Famously, Clark was offered $5 million to join Ice Cube's Big 3 basketball league.
Uncommon Knowledge
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