Sports world reacts to Caitlin Clark declaring for WNBA Draft

Just two days ahead of her final regular-season home game of the year, Iowa superstar and NCAA women’s basketball scoring record-holder Caitlin Clark announced that she will declare for the upcoming WNBA Draft, forgoing her final year of eligibility. 

An hour after Clark shared the news via social media, the Indiana Fever were quick to remind people who has the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft:

Although the Indiana Fever finished 10th in the WNBA with a 13-27 record last season, the team, its players (both current and former) and its fans already seem hopeful of a potential future with Clark. 

Last season, the Fever also held the first overall pick and decided to select three-time AP All-America first-team selection, Aliyah Boston, out of South Carolina.

The last time Boston and Clark shared the court was in March when Iowa upset No. 1-seeded South Carolina in the Final Four of the 2023 NCAA tournament. Now the two are likely to share the court for the upcoming WNBA season. 

Even tennis legend and women’s sports advocate Billie Jean King took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to show her support and excitement for Clark’s decision to head to the WNBA.

But before she heads to the big leagues, her time playing in college isn’t over just yet.

Clark is expected to pass Pete Maravich as the NCAA Division-I all-time leading scorer on Saturday during Senior Night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Clark needs just 17 points to pass Pistol Pete. 

In the regular-season finale, Iowa is set to face No. 2 Ohio State, which just recently won their second consecutive Big Ten title. It all goes down on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET and can be seen on FOX.