NEW YORK — Caitlin Clark is officially a pro.
Clarke, the record face of women's college basketball, was selected No. 1 by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA draft Monday night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The draft was held in front of 1,000 fans who bought all the tickets within 15 minutes of going on sale a few months ago.
“I was a little anxious there before the audition,” Clarke said with a laugh during an interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe. “I've dreamed of this moment since I was in second grade, and it took a lot of hard work, a lot of ups and downs, but most of all, I'm just trying to soak it up.”
Los Angeles ranked Stanford's Cameron Brink as the no. Opted in 2. He will stay in California and provide the Sparks with a two-way player. Top goalscorer Naismith was also the Defensive Player of the Year. The Sparks needed to replace franchise player Nneka Okwumike, who left for Seattle in free agency.
Brink's goddaughter, Sonia Curry, is the mother of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry.
“I FaceTimed Steph five minutes before the show and he said, 'Have fun with it,'” Brink said. “He can share a lot of great advice from what he's been through. Things like this can be stressful.”
Brink is the third Stanford player selected in the top two picks of the WNBA draft, joining Sini and Nneka Okwumike. The only college with more is UConn.
Chicago acquired South Carolina's Camila Cardoso with the third pick that the Sky used to select the 2024 Final Four. Cardoso had a busy week, helping the Gamecocks win the national championship to end an undefeated season. He took part in the team's championship parade before heading to New York on Sunday.
Sparks watch no. Returned in 4 and selected Tennessee's Rickia Jackson, one of five SEC players to average at least 20 points and 5 rebounds in multiple seasons over the past 25 years. Jackson is one of two Tennessee players to have 30 points and 10 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game, the other being Candace Parker, who started her career with the Sparks.
Ohio State guard Jacey Shelton went fifth overall to the Dallas Wings, and the Washington Mystics took UConn's Aaliyah Edwards at No. Taken at 6. Edwards posted career highs in both scoring (17.6 PPG) and rebounding (9.2 PPG) in 2023-24.
The Sky traded up to seventh to select LSU star Angel Reese, who had 61 double-doubles during LSU's national championship run in 2023, second most in Division I and LSU. In history, only Sylvia Foles was left behind.
“I'm excited to play with Camilla — I've been playing against her since high school,” said Reese, the highest pick LSU has had since Fowles in 2008 (second overall).
“She's a great player and I'm a great player. Nobody's going to hold us back,” the 6-foot-7 Cardoso said with a laugh.
Minnesota swapped picks with Chicago, picking Utah's Alyssa Piley eighth. Philly averaged 21.1 points over the past two seasons, which ranks fourth in Division I behind Clark (29.7), Ta'Nia Ladson (21.3) and McKenna Hoffschild (21.3).
The Wings took Carla Light of France with the ninth pick. Leïla Lacan of France, Connecticut Sun no. Going to 10 Last year's WNBA Finals, the New York Liberty selected Markesha Davis with the 11th pick. Davis is the fourth Ole Miss player to be selected in the first round.
The Atlanta Dream ended the first round by drawing Australia's Niyadew Pooch.
Clark, a 6-foot-0 guard and native of West Des Moines, Iowa, is entering the top league in the world. A two-time national player of the year, Clark finished her collegiate career with 3,951 points, the most in men's and women's Division I history, while leading the Iowa Hawkeyes to national title game appearances, their first in program history.
His logo 3-pointers, highlight-reel assists and offensive firepower (he averaged 31.6 points as a senior and 28.4 points for his career) have scattered huge television ratings in Iowa City and on the road. TV networks and streaming platforms along the way.
He has his own cereal box, State Farm commercials and appeared on “Saturday Night Live” last weekend. Now, a huge challenge and a huge opportunity awaits her.
“I earned it, and that's why I'm so proud of it,” Clarke told Rowe.
The Fever haven't appeared in the playoffs since 2016, the final season of the legendary Tamika Catchings. But Aaliyah in Boston was last year's no. 1 pick, it looks like the pair of generational powers will change the trajectory of the franchise — and the trajectory of the league — for years to come.
Indiana, the 2012 WNBA title winners, sported the worst winning percentage in the league since the start of the 2017 season despite having lottery picks in each of the past seven drafts since Catchings' retirement. Four of those seven selections are no longer on the team.
Boston, the franchise's first No. 1 pick this past season, won 13 games and was largely balanced since Catchings' retirement. With Clark now in the mix, it looks like the franchise will be able to snap the league's longest active streak of missing the playoffs.
Clark, the only Division I women's player with 3,000 points and 1,000 assists, will have two similarly young but elite post targets in Boston, the reigning Player of the Year. After Clark developed strong chemistry with Iowa posts Monica Sinano and Hannah Stulke, the connections she, Boston and Smith could make in Indianapolis are exciting prospects for Fever fans.
“This system has one of the best post players in the entire world. My point guard's eyes light up with it,” Clark said.
Clark will share the backcourt with two senior guards in Kelsey Mitchell, No. 4 on the NCAA Division I all-time scoring list and the top 3-point shooter in the league last season, as well as returning point guard Erika Wheeler.
ESPN Stats & Info and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
