Lin Dunn, now in her third season as general manager of the Indiana Fever, was the head coach and general manager of the Seattle Storm when she drafted Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird with consecutive picks n #1 in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Although Dunn resigned from the Storm after the 2002 season, Jackson and Bird ultimately led the franchise to two championships in 2004 and 2010.
Dunn believes Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark have similar potential as a duo in Indiana after Boston and Clark were selected with back-to-back No. 1 picks in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Last season, Boston was the eighth rookie to be chosen as a starter in the WNBA All-Star Game. Clark, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, recently led Iowa to its second straight NCAA Championship appearance after the program never reached the title game and did not qualify for the Final Four since 1993.
“It doesn’t happen very often, and so when it does and you can look back, it usually means it leads to championships,” Dunn said of Clark’s pairing with Boston. “I think this is the start of us getting back on track to winning another championship here. When we were able to put Bird and Jackson together, a great playmaker and a great post player, we were able to take off in Seattle and I think that can happen here when you put Clark with Boston.
