Caitlin Clark was selected by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft and is arguably the most anticipated draft prospect to to enter the league. She is a three-time NCAA scoring leader and three-time NCAA assists leader, and holds the all-time leading scoring record in the NCAA. She was named the AP Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024, averaging 31.6 points per game in her senior season.
However, despite her achievements, Clark faced criticism from active WNBA players throughout her 2024 NCAA Tournament run. She will be going up against several players in her rookie season, including Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi.
With the the WNBA Draft now in the rearview, we break down the biggest days of Clark’s upcoming rookie year.
First preseason game: Friday, May 3
Clark and the Fever will face the Dallas Wings in their first preseason game.
Opening Day: Tuesday, May 14
The Fever take on the Connecticut Sun to kick off the 2024 season.
Back-to-back against New York Liberty: Thursday, May 16 & Friday, May 18
The Liberty were the runners-up of the 2023 season. The Fever face the Liberty two other times during the 2024 season, but this will come very early on. Clark will face off against Breanna Stewart, who said that Clark needed an NCAA title to cement herself as one of the greats. Clark defeated Stewart’s alma mater UConn in the Final Four but fell short of earning a title two years in a row.
First game against Las Vegas Aces: Saturday, May 25
The Aces are the reigning champions of the WNBA.
First game against Diana Taurasi and the Mercury: Sunday, June 30
Taurasi has been the loudest voice among the bizarre criticisms of Clark ahead of her WNBA tenure. Taurasi said of Clark and other incoming rookies, “You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.”
She also said that she would select Paige Bueckers over Clark in the WNBA Draft if it were her decision. Of course, Taurasi is a former UConn player and is perhaps just demonstrating some school allegiance, but the taste she left in people’s mouths over Final Four weekend was less than stellar.