© Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar / USA TODAY
WATCH: Fans Erupt at Gainbridge Fieldhouse When Indiana Fever Select Caitlin Clark
Indiana Fever fans went crazy when the team officially selected former Iowa star Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Fans were at Gainbridge Fieldhouse attending a watch party for the occasion.
Fans of the Indiana Fever were ready to welcome the newest addition to the team on Monday night. Gainbridge Fieldhouse hosted a WNBA Draft party to celebrate the team selecting former Iowa star Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
Clark had been the projected No. 1 pick in the draft since the Fever received the selection during the WNBA Draft Lottery in February. For months, Indianapolis has prepared to welcome one of the greatest women's college basketball players to the city.
It became a reality on Monday, with the Fever making the pick official. Here was one look of the celebration from inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday.
Later in the evening, the Fever posted another video of how fans reacted to the news. Again, none of it was surprising, but with Indiana struggling the past several seasons, it breathes new life into the franchise.
This year marks the second straight in which the Fever owned the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft. Last year, Indiana selected South Carolina's Aliyah Boston with the top selection.
Clark became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer for both women's and men's college basketball. She surpassed Washington's Kelsey Plum (3,527 points) and LSU's Pete Maravich (3,667 points) by scoring a total of 3,951 points in her four-year career with the Hawkeyes.
In her senior season, Clark averaged 31.6 points, 8.9 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game. She helped lead the Hawkeyes to a 34-5 record, which included a 15-3 mark in Big Ten play. Although Iowa did not win the Big Ten regular season crown, it did win its third straight conference tournament championship.
The Hawkeyes also earned a trip to the national championship game for a second consecutive season. Iowa was defeated by an undefeated South Carolina squad, despite a performance from Clark that included 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Indiana opens the 2024 WNBA season on Tuesday, May 14 against the Connecticut Sun.
