Iowa star Caitlin Clark declares for 2024 WNBA Draft
Feb 29, 2024, 2:59 PM
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes dribbles the ball in the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on February 22, 2024 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, who is on the verge of becoming the all-time NCAA scoring leader in college basketball, announced Thursday that she will leave the Hawkeyes after this season and enter the WNBA Draft.
Clark made the announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Indiana Fever have the top pick in the draft for the second consecutive year. Last season the team drafted Aliyah Boston with the No. 1 pick.
🖤 pic.twitter.com/9bd3w390Ka
— Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) February 29, 2024
Iowa’s superstar guard on Wednesday night scored 33 points to lead the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes to a 108-60 romp of Minnesota, pushing her past Lynette Woodard on the all-time list with 3,650 points.
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Earlier this month, Clark passed Kelsey Plum (3,527) as the all-time NCAA women’s scoring leader. Woodard totaled 3,649 points from 1977-81 for Kansas when the sport was under the purveyance of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, before the NCAA began sanctioning women’s basketball with the 1981-82 season.
The WNBA will hold its draft at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on April 15 with room for 1,000 fans to attend.
Recent drafts, which were held in Manhattan, were in smaller, more intimate venues that didn’t have room for fans.
There’s a lot of excitement around this year’s draft with Clark forgoing her fifth year of college eligibility.
UConn star Paige Bueckers, who was projected to be drafted in the lottery, has said she will return for at least one more season at the school. Stanford’s Cameron Brink and LSU’s Angel Reese haven’t announced whether they will turn pro or come back to college for another year.
The Phoenix Mercury held the No. 4 pick following the WNBA Draft Lottery but since traded that selection to acquire All-Star guard Kahleah Copper from the Chicago Sky.
