It’s Caitlin Clark’s world and we’re just living in it.
The Des Moines, Iowa, native who established herself as the face of women’s college basketball is officially going pro.
After dunking on numerous NCAA records, including passing LSU legend Pete Maravich for most career points in Division I history for men and women, Clark was selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 WNBA draft Monday night.
Clark’s career move was long anticipated after she announced in late February she was headed to the league instead of using her extra year of eligibility for the Iowa Hawkeyes, ESPN reported.
Here’s everything to know about the Iowa Hawkeyes player that has taken the world by storm.
Where did Caitlin Clark get drafted?
Clark was selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in Monday’s draft. Led by head coach Christie Sides, the Fever play in Indianapolis.
The 22-year-old joins a Fever team with 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston, who was also the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft. The Fever finished 13-27 last season and have missed the postseason in each of the past seven seasons.
An inside-outside combination of Clark and Boston could propel Indiana back to the playoffs once again, USA Today reported.
“My point guard eyes light up at that,” Clark said after the Fever officially selected her Monday night. “I’m just gonna feed Aliyah the ball every game … That’s what I’m gonna do. I can’t wait to be her teammate again.”
Want to see Clark play in Indianapolis? The distance to Indy from Cincinnati, Columbus, Akron
How far is Indianapolis from these major Ohio cities?
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Indianapolis is approx. 112 miles from Cincinnati (or 1 hour, 46 minute drive).
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Indianapolis is approx. 175 miles from Columbus (or 2 hours, 40 minute drive).
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Indianapolis is approx. 300 miles from Akron (or 4 hours, 30 minute drive).
When does the WNBA season start?
The WNBA season starts Tuesday, May 14. The Fever will help kick off the season in their May 14 game against the Connecticut Sun at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Tickets starting at $122 are currently available for the Fever’s first game of the 2024 WNBA season at wnba.com.
Want to watch Clark in her first home game? Tickets for the Fever’s opener in Indianapolis on May 16 start at $45 through Ticketmaster.
2024 Indiana Fever home schedule
|
Date, day |
Place, opponent |
Time, TV |
|
May 10, Fri. |
vs. Atlanta (preseason) |
7 p.m. |
|
May 16, Thurs. |
vs. New York |
7 p.m. |
|
May 20, Mon. |
vs. Connecticut |
7 p.m. |
|
May 28, Tues. |
vs. Los Angeles |
7 p.m. |
|
May 30, Thurs. |
vs. Seattle |
7 p.m. |
|
June 1, Sat. |
vs. Chicago |
1 p.m. |
|
June 13, Thurs. |
vs. Atlanta |
7 p.m. |
|
June 16, Sun. |
vs. Chicago |
Noon |
|
June 19, Wed. |
vs. Washington |
7 p.m. |
|
July 6, Sat. |
vs. New York |
1 p.m. |
|
July 10, Wed. |
vs. Washington |
Noon |
|
July 12, Fri. |
vs. Phoenix |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Aug. 16, Fri. |
vs. Phoenix |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Aug. 18, Sun. |
vs. Seattle |
4 p.m. |
|
Aug. 28, Wed. |
vs. Connecticut |
7 p.m. |
|
Sept. 4, Wed. |
vs. Los Angeles |
7 p.m. |
|
Sept. 6, Fri. |
vs. Minnesota |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Sept. 8, Sun. |
vs. Atlanta |
4 p.m. |
|
Sept. 11, Wed. |
vs. Las Vegas |
7 p.m. |
|
Sept. 13, Fri. |
vs. Las Vegas |
7:30 p.m. |
|
Sun. 15, Sun. |
vs. Dallas |
3 p.m. |
*Indiana Fever full schedule here
How to get WNBA tickets
Season tickets and single game tickets are available to purchase online at wnba.com/tickets.
Deposits for the Fever’s 2024 season tickets are listed at $250.
Caitlin Clark’s WNBA contract, salary
Clark will receive a four-year contract worth a total of $338,056, according to the WNBA’s CBA.
The first four picks of the WNBA draft are each slotted at the same value, meaning Clark and subsequent draft picks Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso and Rickea Jackson will each receive the same amount of money. Here’s the year-by-year breakdown of Clark’s contract (it has not been announced if she has signed):
Clark is also expected to earn considerable income from her sponsorships, which currently include State Farm, Gatorade, Nike, Xfinity, H&R Block and Panini America among others.
As an Iowa Hawkeyes player, Clark carried an estimated NIL (name, image and likeness) valuation of $910,000 that skyrocketed to $3.1 million after breaking numerous NCAA records, according to ON3. Her NIL valuation currently sits at $3.4 million.
Caitlin Clark on SNL
The basketball star made a guest appearance in the “Weekend Update” segment of “Saturday Night Live” with Colin Jost and Michael Che on April 13.
Clark roasted Che during the roughly five-minute segment after he cracked a joke about her.
“The University of Iowa announced that basketball star Caitlin Clark will have her jersey retired and replaced with an apron,” Che said.
“You make a lot of jokes about women’s sports. Don’t you, Michael?” Clark replied.
Check out the full segment below.
Caitlin Clark career college stats for Iowa Hawkeyes
Here’s a look at Caitlin Clark’s career per-game averages across each season with the Iowa Hawkeyes:
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2020-21: 26.6 points, 7.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds in 30 games.
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2021-22: 27.0 points, 8.0 assists and 8.0 rebounds in 32 games.
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2022-23: 27.8 points, 8.6 assists and 7.1 rebounds in 38 games.
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2023-24: 31.6 points, 8.9 assists and 7.4 rebounds in 39 games.
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Career totals: 28.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.1 rebounds in 139 games.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: All about WNBA No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark: Salary, schedule, tickets
