As the newest member of the Indiana Fever, Clark is learning how she’ll fit into a new offensive system, building chemistry with her new teammates and learning the nuances of what it means to be the WNBA’s highest-profile rookie.
Sources say the contract spans eight years and includes a signature shoe.
Unable to attend the U.S. training camp earlier this month, Clark will have the start of her WNBA career to show the U.S. women’s basketball selection committee whether she deserves a spot on the team.
With rookie sensation Caitlin Clark set to make her professional debut in May, the Fever has reached a deal with the owner of two Indianapolis TV stations to air nearly half of the team’s regular-season schedule.
Clark addressed numerous topics, ranging from the bustling draft party held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, to the future of the league, to how she feels about the prospect of living in Indianapolis.
The team’s draft-watch party at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday drew an estimated 6,000 fans, including many who stood in long lines to buy from the first stock of Clark-related Indiana Fever memorabilia.
Clark is expected to have a major impact on the Fever, not only on the court, but in the stands, where the team ranked next to last in attendance in 2023. Her appeal was apparent Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where thousands of fans gathered to watch the draft on the arena’s video scoreboard.
Caitlin Clark and other players at Monday night’s WNBA Draft are facing a challenge essentially every woman can identify with: wearing just the right outfit for a special occasion.
Having taken women’s college basketball to new heights, Caitlin Clark is about to step boldly into her future as the presumed No. 1 draft pick of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. Here are some questions and answers about Clark’s immediate future in the WNBA.
The Indiana Fever, who are expected to take Clark with their No. 1 pick in the draft, have a draft party scheduled for Monday night.
Caitlin Clark, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick by the Indiana Fever in Monday’s WNBA draft, deftly skewered “Weekend Update” co-host Michael Che in a “Saturday Night Live” appearance, and used the platform to offer a reminder of the many women’s basketball stars who came before her.
Clark, who is the career leading scorer in Division I men’s and women’s basketball, is expected to go first to the Indiana Fever. It’s the second consecutive year that the Fever have the top pick.
Call it the Caitlin Clark effect. The WNBA will show all but four of the Fever’s games on its national broadcast and streaming partners, starting with the season opener at Connecticut on May 14.
The entire season was a watershed for the women’s game just two years after the NCAA tournament drew headlines for the disparities in the facilities between the men’s tournament and the women’s.
Clark—who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in this month’s WNBA draft, where the Indiana Fever have the No. 1 pick—finished her four-year college career with 3,951 points, an NCAA record for both men and women.
The University of Iowa’s victory over Louisiana State University was the most-watched men’s or women’s college basketball game ever on ESPN, more than doubling the prior largest audience.
In the week since the Iowa Hawkeyes guard announced her plans to go pro, interest in tickets for Indiana Fever games—both at home and on the road—have spiked.
Gainbridge—which holds the naming rights for Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home to the Indiana Fever and the Indiana Pacers—said Clark will serve as brand ambassador for the company.
Getting University of Iowa star Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft as expected would be a boost to Indiana Fever, which was second-to-last in WNBA home-game attendance last season.
Clark, the all-time top scorer in NCAA women’s basketball, regularly draws sellout crowds to University of Iowa games, including away contests, sending ticket prices to all-time highs.
