After sweeping every major national player of the year award in women’s college basketball for the second year in a row and rewriting the NCAA record books in multiple categories, the Iowa star is about to embark on the next step of her remarkable career.
Clark will officially enter the professional ranks Monday night at the 2024 WNBA draft, and she will join an exclusive club. She is expected to be the first name announced when the Indiana Fever select her with the top pick, becoming the 28th overall No. 1 draft pick in WNBA history.
Clark will join an impressive list that begins in 1997 when Hall of Famer Tina Thompson was taken with the first pick in the league’s first draft and ends — until Clark’s name is added — with last season’s WNBA rookie of the year and her soon-to-be teammate in Indiana, Aliyah Boston.
Who else is in the No. 1 draft club? Scroll our gallery and view the list below.
WNBA No. 1 overall draft picks by year
Since 1997; with college or country, if international player, in parentheses
- 2023: Indiana Fever | Aliyah Boston (South Carolina)
- 2022: Atlanta Dream | Rhyne Howard (Kentucky)
- 2021: Dallas Wings | Charli Collier (Texas)
- 2020: New York Liberty | Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon)
- 2019: Las Vegas Aces | Jackie Young (Notre Dame)
- 2018: Las Vegas Aces | A’ja Wilson (South Carolina)
- 2017: San Antonio Stars | Kelsey Plum (Washington)
- 2016: Seattle Storm | Breanna Stewart (Connecticut)
- 2015: Seattle Storm | Jewell Loyd (Notre Dame)
- 2014: Connecticut Sun | Chiney Ogwumike (Stanford)
- 2013: Phoenix Mercury | Brittney Griner (Baylor)
- 2012: Los Angeles Sparks | Nneka Ogwumike (Stanford)
- 2011: Minnesota Lynx | Maya Moore (Connecticut)
- 2010: Connecticut Sun | Tina Charles (Connecticut)
- 2009: Atlanta Dream | Angel McCoughtry (Louisville)
- 2008: Los Angeles Sparks | Candace Parker (Tennessee)
- 2007: Phoenix Mercury | Lindsey Harding (Duke)
- 2006: Minnesota Lynx | Seimone Augustus (LSU)
- 2005: Charlotte Sting | Janel McCarville (Minnesota)
- 2004: Phoenix Mercury | Diana Taurasi (Connecticut)
- 2003: Cleveland Rockets | LaToya Thomas (Mississippi State)
- 2002: Seattle Storm | Sue Bird (Connecticut)
- 2001: Seattle Storm | Lauren Jackson (Australia)
- 2000: Cleveland Rockers | Ann Wauters (Belgium)
- 1999: Washington Mystics | Chamique Holdsclaw (Tennessee)
- 1998: Utah Starzz | Margo Dydek (Poland)
- 1997: Houston Comets | Tina Thompson (Southern California)
