If Caitlin Clark’s popularity — and her epic clashes with players such as Angel Reece and Kamilla Cardoso — is women’s basketball’s “Bird vs. Magic” moment, is the WNBA ready to capitalize?
The answer to that question starts Monday night when the WNBA Draft takes place in Brooklyn. There’s not much mystery about when Clark will be selected, but the drama only begins there. Here’s a primer on everything you need to know about the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Where is the 2024 WNBA Draft?
The highly anticipated WNBA Draft begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, April 15. It will take place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York, and this will be the first time fans will be in live attendance for the WNBA Draft.
How can I watch the WNBA Draft 2024?
ESPN will broadcast the 2024 WNBA Draft, with a preview half-hour show starting at 7 p.m. ET. The WNBA can be streamed on ESPN+.
Which team has the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft?
For the second year in a row, the Indiana Fever have the first overall pick after winning the WNBA Draft Lottery. A year ago they selected South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, who went on to be the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Which team is Caitlin Clark going to?
This is a no-brainer — Clark will go No. 1 overall to the Indiana Fever.
It is an easy call for the Fever for two reasons: 1) Clark’s outside game, paired with last year’s No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston inside, gives Indiana the foundation of a potential title contender in a few years; 2) What Clark will mean in terms of ticket sales, and sponsorship sales with the franchise, not to mention jersey sales and everything else, makes this an easy call from a business perspective. Already, most of the Fever’s games next season will be on national television.
2024 WNBA Mock Draft: Caitlin Clark to Indiana Fever, Angel Reese to Chicago Sky
How much will Caitlin Clark make in WNBA?
As the No. 1 pick, Clark will make a salary of $76,535. Yes, that’s it. She will make far, far more than that in sponsorship and endorsement deals — projections of her final year at Iowa had her making more than $3 million in name and licensing deals, and almost all of that will follow her to the WNBA. That said, the money she will generate for the Indiana Fever and the WNBA in jersey sales alone will be in the millions.
If that salary number seems shockingly low, well, it is. The most any player will make in the WNBA this season is $241,984 (Arike Ogunbowale, Kahleah Copper, Jewell Loyd), and the average player will make around $150,000 next season. This is why many WNBA players also play overseas for a second team during the offseason, or find a second job in broadcast media or another basketball-related position.
What is the WNBA Draft order?
The WNBA Draft has three rounds. This is the order for the first round — notice the Los Angeles Sparks draft second and fourth.
First Round
1. Indiana Fever
2. Los Angeles Sparks
3. Chicago Sky (from Phoenix)
4. Los Angeles Sparks (from Seattle)
5. Dallas Wings (from Chicago)
6. Washington Mystics
7. Chicago Sky (from Minnesota via Los Angeles)
8. Minnesota Lynx
9. Dallas Wings
10. Connecticut Sun
11. New York Liberty
12. Atlanta Dream (from Las Vegas, via Los Angeles)
Who are some of the players who will be drafted?
Caitlin Clark, 6'0" point guard, Iowa
Clark has become a household name and sports superstar, and she enters the WNBA already part of the college hoop GOAT conversation — she scored more points than any other player, male or female, in college basketball history. Her shooting range draws Curry comparisons, as does the way her gravity as a player warps defenses. She is a star on and off the court and the biggest question is can the WNBA take advantage of this moment?
Cameron Brink, 6'4" power forward, Stanford
Brink is a defensive force inside, leading the NCAA with 3.74 blocked shots per game, plus she has a versatile offensive game, although she needs to show that can transfer to the WNBA. Is she ready for the step up in physicality in the WNBA? The bet is yes, but Brink must prove she can be a star at the next level. With Nneka Ogwumike gone to Seattle and Los Angeles needing an inside presence and star, Brink could be the pick at No. 2.
Kamilla Cardoso, 6'7" center, South Carolina
A lot of casual fans who tuned into the NCAA title game expecting a Caitlin Clark coronation found out Cardoso is for real. Her size and strength inside will translate to the next level, and she has quick feet and runs the floor well. She proved in college she can play next to another big, as well, which will help in the WNBA. She is a force in the paint on both ends of the court.
Angel Reese, 6-3 forward, LSU
What sometimes gets lost in the hype around Reese — and LSU’s championship win over Iowa and Clark a year ago — is that she just plays hard. She’s got a high motor, and she’s going to need that, and her athleticism and explosive leaping ability, to transition to the WNBA game. Reese is not much of a shooter, but that part of her game, along with her scoring efficiency overall, will need to improve in the WNBA.
What’s the big secret of the WNBA Draft?
That most of the players selected will not make the league. Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso and the others at the very top are fine, but the majority of drafted players will not make a roster.
Last season, only eight of the 36 players taken in the draft were on opening day rosters, and 15 of them total played in a WNBA game last season. The WNBA is the hardest league to make because the rosters are only 12 players deep and a lot of teams only carry 11 to stay under the league’s strict salary cap (for comparison, NBA teams have 15 roster spots plus three two-way players allowed for development). Coaches and front offices trying to win lean on veterans to round out the roster, forcing most of the drafted players to go overseas to develop (there is no G-League like the NBA has).
