- Written by Brandon Drennon
- bbc news
image source, Getty Images
Women's college basketball superstar Caitlin Clark has been drafted into the professional league with the first overall pick by the Indiana Fever.
“I can't wait,” said the 22-year-old, who was expected to be the No. 1 pick by the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) draft committee.
She is considered one of the greatest college athletes of all time.
The annual WNBA Draft also saw college athletes from all over the United States aiming to go pro.
Clark is the all-time leading scorer in men's and women's college basketball and has made the most 3-pointers in a single season, a record previously held by professional player Stephen Curry.
“I'm excited,” the former Iowa Hawkeyes sensation said in a press conference after Monday's announcement.
“This is the most competitive league in the entire world, with fewer than 144 spots, so you better be in every night.”
“I've been dreaming of this moment since I was a sophomore, and it's been a lot of hard work and a lot of ups and downs,” Clark said in an interview with ESPN.
She entered the WNBA draft after completing her final season as a senior at the University of Iowa.
Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks in their last game on sports' biggest stage, the women's NCAA Tournament championship.
The game was one of the most-watched games in college basketball history, both men's and women's, with 24 million viewers watching. Tickets were sold for up to $11,000 (£8,850).
Many credit Clark for the increased interest in women's college basketball. Her influence on her game has been called the Caitlin Clark effect.
WNBA draft observers were also keeping an eye on Camila Cardoso of the University of South Carolina, who was drafted third overall by the Chicago Sky on Monday. And then there's Angel Reese of Louisiana State University, who was also selected by Chicago with the seventh pick.
Jenny Newgen, owner of Sports Blow, an Oregon bar that only shows women's sports, told the BBC: “I've been watching women's basketball for decades.
“I feel like everyone else is catching up…it's about time.”
