College basketball star Caitlin Clark No. 1 pick, drafted by Indiana Fever in 2024 WNBA draft

Caitlin Clark was the first pick in the WNBA draft on Monday night, where she was picked by the Indiana Fever.

A thousand fans were in attendance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York to watch the stars of college basketball turn professional.

It had long been expected that Clark, who has been lauded as the greatest collegiate player the game has seen, would be drafted instead of staying in college basketball for another year.

"When you're just sitting at a table waiting for your name to be called, that really allows the emotions to feed you," Clark said.

"You're with your family. Obviously, playing a basketball game, I'm not out there with my family. So sharing that moment with them and enjoying it, and people that have really had my back and believed in me more than anyone, is super special."

Tennessee's Rickea Jackson was the No. 4 pick and she believes that the current crop of stars could help push women’s basketball to further prominence in the mainstream.

"This is a generational class," Jackson said. "I feel like this class is just so different. I know this class is different. ... Women's basketball is on an uproar. Everybody is tuning in. ... I'm grateful to be a part of this draft class. I feel like we're just trending in the right direction."

Clark stands at six feet tall and has twice been national player of the year. She has 3,951 points to her name in her college career, a record in either the men’s or women’s sports. Her three-point talents and 31.6 ppg average in her senior year have established her as a star in her own right, even before turning pro.

Her new team, the Fever, have not reached the playoffs since 2016, but they now boast two consecutive No. 1 picks, with Clark joining Aliyah Boston in Indiana.

"That's definitely our goal, is to get back to championship habits," Clark said of her ambition for the team.. "I'm very lucky to be going there to an organization that really loves women's basketball. You see it today, I think they had 17,000 tickets claimed to just watch the draft. I think that shows the excitement in Indianapolis. It's a great basketball city.

"For myself, I can't imagine a more perfect fit, a better place for me to start my professional career, an organization that really just believes in women's basketball and wants to do everything the right way. So I couldn't be more excited to get there."

Fever general manager Lin Dunn added: "It's a perfect fit for us. She's from the Big Ten, the Midwest -- is there any place better for her than Indianapolis, Indiana? I can't think of it."

TNT Sports and discovery+ are the new UK broadcasters of the WNBA and will be the onlly place to watch Clark in her professional career.

How do I watch WNBA live streams on TNT Sports? What is discovery+?

The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.

You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

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TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media