NEW YORK – Caitlin Clark was the queen of the collegiate game but expects a major test when she joins the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the Iowa superstar said on April 15, after going first in the WNBA Draft to the Indiana Fever.
The 1.83m guard broke the all-time NCAA scoring record and sent television ratings skyrocketing with her splashy logo threes and astonishing passing ability captivating fans in the United States.
But “reality is coming” for the 22-year-old sharpshooter, 10-time All-Star Diana Taurasi warned during a recent ESPN appearance, promising a tough reception in the highest ranks of the women’s professional game.
Clark told reporters she was prepared for just that.
“The WNBA is so competitive right now. Every single time you step on the floor, it’s going to be a rivalry,” she said.
A sold-out crowd piled into the Brooklyn Academy of Music for the draft, leaving little doubt that Clark’s star power could endure as she makes the leap from college to the professional game.
“I got a little anxious there before the pick,” she admitted to ESPN.
“I’ve dreamt of this moment since I was in second grade and it’s taken a lot of hard work, a lot of ups and downs.
“I told my mum before this, you know, I earned it, and that’s why I’m so proud of it.”
Behind the fanfare, she said she would put in the work to earn her keep in the WNBA, where even first-round draft picks can find themselves on the chopping block in a matter of weeks.
“So many teams are loaded with so much talent, and this is the most competitive league in the entire world. So, you better bring it every single night,” added Clark.
“I think that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
The Fever won the 2012 WNBA crown but have not been to the play-offs since 2016.
They had the second-lowest attendance in the league in 2023 with an average of 4,066 fans per game. But with Clark on board alongside 2023’s overall top pick Aliyah Boston, all that seems set to change.
“There’s so much you can say about her,” Clark said of Boston.
“In my eyes, one of the best players in the league. As a point guard, my biggest job is – I’m just feeding Aliyah the ball every single day. That’s what I’m going to do.”
In anticipation of her selection, the WNBA had already scheduled 36 of the Fever’s 40 games next season – which begins on May 14 – for national television.
Off the court, Clark’s face is already adorning cereal boxes and State Farm Insurance billboards, and just last week she appeared on the late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live.
“Obviously the course of the last few weeks has been pretty insane in my life,” she said.
“I’m just very lucky to be in this moment, and all these opportunities and these things, they’re once in a lifetime. This isn’t something everybody gets to do.” REUTERS, AFP
