Clark’s dream now a reality
NEW YORK — In elementary school, Caitlin Clark wrote down a list of her goals and dreams that included playing in the WNBA one day.
That dream became a reality Monday night as Clark was taken first by the Fever in the WNBA draft.
Clark’s mom Anne still has the piece of paper that Clark wrote it on.
“It’s pretty special, looking back at that sheet I was able to check off a lot of goals,” Clark told the AP on Sunday.
Clark said she never dreamed of the impact she’s had in helping grow the sport to where it is today with record ratings and attendance numbers.
“If you would have told me that we would (be) here playing in front of 24 million people on national television, I’d say that was insane. I still can’t wrap my head around it,” Clark said. “Something that everyone should be proud of. Everybody that came before us to have this moment. Where it’s going to continue to grow, the young stars in our game are really good.
“The WNBA is really good. The talent level across the board has helped this.”
LA story
The Sparks lost franchise star Nneka Ogwumike in free agency to the Storm as well as guard Jordin Canada to the Dream in a trade so are looking to rebuild. They had the No. 2 and No. 4 picks on Monday but those selections were made after this edition went to print.
“They’re an incredible opportunity for our organization,” first-year GM
Raegan Pebley said. “We definitely want to see two players that not only have the skill set to make an impact early but also a long runway ahead of them. Opportunities to develop, opportunities to not only be excellent in what they do but how they impact the other pieces around them as we continue to build this team.”
Swapping picks
The Sky, who had the No. 3 pick, also traded up one spot to get No. 7 from the Lynx. The Sky sent the No. 8 pick as well as Sika Koné, the Sky’s secondround pick next year and the rights to swap firstround picks in 2026 to the Lynx. The Sky also received Nikolina Milić from the Lynx.
“We are excited to strengthen our draft position once again in a year with many top prospects,” Sky GM Jeff Pagliocca said. “We thank Sika for her many contributions to the Sky and wish her success in her next role.”
The Sky also had the first pick in the second round.
Watch party
Fans joined Chiney and Ogwumike, Ashley Joens and Kristen Meyer — Clark’s high school coach — online as part of a virtual watch event via a partnership with HANG media. Fans watched the draft on TV while joining the quartet on YouTube and HANG’s website to answer questions.
“This allows fans to interact with WNBA players and build connections,” said Joens, who was an AAU teammate with Clark in Iowa before playing against her at Iowa State.