College basketball prodigy Caitlin Clark selected first in WNBA draft

Clark, whose grounds scoring exploits garnered immense media attraction successful her last assemblage season, was picked by nan Indiana Fever.

Caitlin Clark, who smashed records connected and disconnected nan tribunal successful a dazzling United States assemblage career, was selected first successful nan WNBA draught amid expectations she will person a transformative effect connected women’s master basketball.

Clark, 22, was taken first wide by nan Indiana Fever connected Monday nighttime – a squad that has not been to nan playoffs since 2016 and had nan second-lowest attendance successful nan convention successful 2023 pinch an mean of 4,066 fans per game.

With nan University of Iowa prima joining past year’s wide apical prime Aliyah Boston successful Indiana, however, each that seems group to change.

In anticipation of her selection, nan WNBA has already scheduled 36 of nan Fever’s 40 games adjacent play for nationalist television.

Even earlier nan draught nan Fever had begun trading a constricted magnitude of single-game tickets, betting that nan basketball-mad Midwestern authorities of Indiana would beryllium premier territory for “Clark mania”.

Seats for games against Connecticut and Los Angeles sold retired wrong hours of going connected sale.

Clark, whose fame is built connected a instauration of on-court excellence that saw her eclipse Pete Maravich’s 54-year-old all-time assemblage hoops scoring record, was shouted by fans astatine nan Brooklyn Academy of Music, who packed nan draught venue successful anticipation that she would lead a star-studded WNBA class.

She admitted she felt anxious arsenic nan minutes ticked by earlier nan Fever announced their selection.

“I’ve dreamed of this infinitesimal since I was successful 2nd people and it’s taken a batch of difficult work, a batch of ups and downs,” she said successful an question and reply pinch broadcaster ESPN.

“I ever conscionable believed successful myself … I told my mom earlier this, you know, I earned it, and that’s why I’m truthful proud of it.”