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CNN
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Enthusiasm for women’s basketball may be the highest it’s ever been.
And now, many stars of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament — including Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Stanford’s Cameron Brink, LSU’s Angel Reese and South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso — are taking their talents to the WNBA .
As expected, Clark, who helped draw record television audiences and packed houses to arenas across the country in her final college season, was selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Draft Monday at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. .
“I was a little nervous going into the pick,” Clark said on the ESPN broadcast. She later added: “I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was in second grade. It took a lot of work, a lot of ups and downs, but more than anything it was just about trying to get the hang of it.
Brink went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks. The third-place Chicago Sky took Cardoso, while Tennessee’s Rickea Jackson moved to the Sparks at fourth. Rounding out the top five, the Dallas Wings selected Jacy Sheldon from Ohio State.
Cardoso, a native of Brazil, was emotional as she reflected on leaving her home country at age 15 to pursue her dream of professional basketball.
“I had a goal to be here tonight and make a better life for my family, so I’m so grateful that I was able to be here,” she told ESPN through tears.
UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards finished sixth overall against the Washington Mystics. Reese, meanwhile, landed with the Sky at No.7, joining forces with fellow rookie Cardoso. Reese was the 2023 Final Four MVP when LSU won the national title, with Cardoso earning that honor this year after South Carolina finished an undefeated season and won the program’s third national championship.
“Coming back (to LSU) would have been amazing for me, but I wanted more for myself,” Reese said. “I wanted to start again. I feel like I’m at my highest point since (winning) the national championship and I want to hit rock bottom.
“I want to be a rookie again. I want to be knocked down by the vets, and I want to be able to get back up and grow and be a sponge. I’m just super excited to play with and against incredible players.
Utah’s Alissa Pili went to the Minnesota Lynx at No. 8. Two French players completed the top 10: the Wings selected Carla Leite at No. 9, and the Connecticut Sun with the 10th pick chose Leila Lacan.
The crowd roared for the hometown New York Liberty’s pick, with Ole Miss’ Marquesha Davis at No. 11. To finish the first round, the Atlanta Dream selected Australian Nyadiew Puoch with the 12th pick.
The buzz around Clark, who will be paired with last year’s No. 1 pick, Aliyah Boston, comes with heavy expectations — and the potential for a more national audience. On Wednesday, the WNBA announced that 36 of the 40 Fever games would be broadcast by the WNBA’s national broadcast and streaming partners.
“Caitlin is one of the most naturally gifted basketball players I have ever seen come into the WNBA from the college level,” said Fever head coach Christie Sides. “His shooting and passing abilities captivated an entire audience of basketball fans, and his ability to improve those around him was even more evident during his college career. We look forward to bringing him to Indiana and integrating him into our locker room with a group ready to return to the playoffs.
The Fever had one of the worst records in the league last season, but with a tandem of Boston and Clark, they could be one of the hottest tickets in sports.
“I certainly know the pressure is there. I’m aware of that,” Clark told CNN on the orange carpet before the draft. “There is never any way to escape. But I think all my confidence comes from the work I’ve done, from my teammates. I know it’s a team sport; that’s why I love basketball. It’s not an individual sport and that’s where all my confidence comes from. This is always what I rely on when times are tense or things feel pressured. It’s like that’s what I fall back on.
Clark isn’t the only reason interest in the sport has increased. Far from there.
During the regular season and the NCAA tournament, several college stars shined on the big stage, such as Cardoso, Reese and Brink.
Meanwhile, the WNBA has been full of stars since the league’s inception. That hasn’t changed as the league enters its 28th season.
But a big difference in recent years, at the professional and collegiate level, is that they are more accessible to watch (and in the media coverage they receive).
“I know people keep saying this is a historic draft class, but I think we also need to look back at the draft class(es) that came before us, because they are the women that we grew up watching,” Brink told CNN on the orange carpet. . “So we do it for them. They are trailblazers and while this draft class is incredible and I couldn’t be more proud of us, it’s the women before us who really did it.
Tickets for Monday’s WNBA Draft sold out in less than 30 minutes.
Before Monday’s draft, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league’s goal was to expand to 16 teams and said she was “pretty confident” that could happen by 2028 Currently at 12 teams, the league will expand to 13 in 2025 with a team currently being selected. added in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 2023, the WNBA had its most-watched regular season in 21 years, and the season-ending WNBA Finals was the most-watched Finals in 20 years. WNBA attendance increased 16% for the 2023 season compared to 2022.
“I love where the game is going right now and I just want to be a part of the growth,” Reese told CNN on the orange carpet. “Whatever happens, I just want to be a part of it.” »
Meanwhile, the NCAA women’s tournament title game between South Carolina and Iowa averaged nearly 19 million viewers, breaking records to become the most popular women’s college basketball game watched never measured by Nielsen.
The game not only eclipsed the men’s final between Purdue and UConn by more than four million viewers, but it was also the most-watched basketball game of the last five years, surpassing all NBA games in of this period, according to Nielsen.
After last year’s heartbreaking loss in the national championship game, Clark’s last dance with the Hawkeyes almost ended in fairytale fashion.
Although Iowa ultimately fell at the final hurdle again – this time at the hands of undefeated South Carolina – Clark’s 2023-24 campaign highlighted the impact she has had on women’s basketball thanks to his popularity and skills.
She became the all-time leading scorer in Division I men’s and women’s college basketball this past season, was named Naismith Player of the Year for the second straight season and was named to the training camp of 14 players from the USA Basketball women’s national team. list, perhaps paving the way for an appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, Clark was unable to participate as the event took place the same week as the Final Four.
And now, with Clark in the WNBA, that excitement has been pushed toward what she could achieve in the pros.
Will Clark’s play at the professional level translate into growing interest? The signs point to this. But other players achieve it too.
This story has been updated with additional information.
