While Caitlin Clark has been busy chasing scoring records and winning games in her home state of Iowa, her post-college destination has been decided — or so we assume.
On Sunday, the Indiana Fever won the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft Lottery. Considering that Clark is projected to be the first overall pick, it seems certain that, come April 15th (the night of the WNBA Draft), Clark will be drafted by Indiana and become the face of the Fever's franchise.
The Indiana Fever's fans and organization must feel like they, well, just won the lottery; especially considering that, after winning the 2023 WNBA Draft Lottery and using their first overall pick on Aliyah Boston — who went on to win 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year — bringing Clark to Indiana means the Fever have two generational players that they'll be able to build a winning team around.
If, that is, Clark does indeed decide to go pro.
Lest we forget that Clark still has one more season of NCAA eligibility, because of the COVID-19 waiver. Plus, Clark has publicly stated to The Athletic that she doesn't yet know whether she'll use her fifth year of NCAA eligibility next season or leave for the WNBA.
"It's really not something I think about every single day," Clark said to The Athletic, regarding her decision to return. "It's not something I let weigh on me. I'm focused on helping this team be the best team they can be, and when I know that decision, all of you will know. I think the biggest thing will be I'm just going to trust my gut and go with that."
So although we're already declaring an end to the Caitlin Clark sweepstakes, there's still a chance that it won't start for real until this time next year, when the 2025 WNBA Draft Lottery rolls around.
Clark doesn't need to decide on her future until March, when players are required to declare for the 2024 draft — unless, that is, their team is in the NCAA tournament after the deadline (which Clark's Iowa squad presumes to be), in which case players have until 48 hours after their final game to declare.
So although the Caitlin Clark sweepstakes may have been decided on Sunday, her professional future (at least, as it pertains to 2024) is still very much up in the air. Sorry, Fever fans.
