Previous Iowa women’s basketball star stage guard Caitlin Clark was drafted with the No. 1 over-all select in the 2024 WNBA Draft on Monday night time. It didn’t consider very long for her to make an effects on the WNBA.
According to Darren Rovell on X, Clark’s Indiana Fever jerseys have now bought out on Fanatics. It took just one particular hour for Fanatics to offer out the extra little, medium, big, further huge and extra, further significant jersey dimensions.
Clark has been a foremost catalyst behind a unexpected increase in women’s basketball. At Iowa, Clark grew to become the NCAA DI’s all-time main scorer with 3,951 factors, and was a 4-time AP All-American, two-time AP Participant of the 12 months, two-time Picket Award winner, two-time Naismith Award winner and led Iowa to two National Championship appearances.
Clark’s Hawkeyes were being by considerably the most viewed team in higher education basketball past calendar year. Their Closing Four matchup against UConn drew 14.2 million viewers, shattering ESPN data for basketball.
That history didn’t past extended, however.
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Iowa’s championship activity in opposition to South Carolina drew a document 18.7 million ordinary viewers, and peaked at 24.1 million. That was more than any basketball match, NBA incorporated, in the very last 5 decades.
Though Clark aided aid a massive enhance in viewership in NCAA women’s basketball, she’s by now envisioned to do the similar in the WNBA.
The Fever, who have been lucky adequate to draft Clark, will have 36 of their 40 video games nationally televised this period. Very last season, they only had 22 game titles on television, and had some of their online games only accessible through the Fever’s Facebook webpage. Their 36 nationwide tv online games surpass those of the defending winner Las Vegas Aces, who will have 35 game titles on countrywide Tv.
Talking of the Aces, they resolved to preemptively move their match versus the Fever to the T-Cell Arena, as opposed to enjoying at their normal Michelob Extremely Arena.
The motive?
T-Cell Arena retains all-around 20,000 people today, though their usual house arena retains about 12,000.
Clark appears very well on her way to supporting boost viewership in the WNBA the identical way she was capable to do it in college or university. She, of program, would not be accomplishing it on your own, though, as there is certainly a pretty talented draft class becoming a member of her in the WNBA this season, which include Stanford’s Cameron Brink, who was drafted No. 2 all round by the Los Angeles Sparks, and South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso, who was picked No. 3 overall by the Chicago Sky. The Sky also drafted previous LSU star Angel Reese with the No. 7 decide.
When is Caitlin Clark’s WNBA Debut?
Clark and the Fever open their season on May well 14 versus the Connecticut Sunlight. Her 1st dwelling sport is two times later, on May well 16, in opposition to the New York Liberty. That will be her first matchup with WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, who could be her teammate at the NBA’s All-Star weekend festivities in 2025.
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