Story By: Erin Zollars
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Brooklyn, NY–
It was the night everyone has been waiting for since the end of the Womens Final Four, the 2023 WNBA Draft. Tonight, certainly lived up the hype and Caitlin Clark is ready to shine in Indiana as the Number 1 Pick.
“I always just believed in myself,” Clark told ESPN and fans after being drafted. “My parents always instilled confidence in me from a young age, when I was a young girl.”
Stanford’s Cameron Brink went at No. 2 to the Los Angeles Sparks. She was overcome with emotion and warned fans in the hall: “I’m an ugly crier.”
Angel Reese of LSU, perhaps the second best-known player in college basketball, was the draft’s No. 7 pick, by Chicago where she’ll team up with long-time rival Kamilla Cardoso.
“I came from Baltimore, I’m not supposed to be here,” an emotional Reese said, thanking her mother and brother for the lifetime of support.
Some thought the Washington Mystics would take Reese and bring her back to the area she grew up in, but they opted for a bit more size in forward Aaliyah Edwards from UCONN.
The Mystics also selected Kaylynne Truong with the 21st pick and Nastja Claessens with the 30th pick.
Can the Mystics recover from the loss of Elena Delle Donne with additions of Stephanie Dolson and Karlie Samuelson? Good chance that with a healthy Shakira Austin, the Mystics will have enough size to rub against New York and company again this season.
The WNBA has scheduled 36 of Indiana’s 40 games to be shown on national broadcast and streaming partners. The Fever occupied that center stage 22 times last season.
- Indiana Fever: Caitlin Clark, G, Iowa
- Los Angeles Sparks: Cameron Brink, F, Stanford
- Chicago Sky (via Phoenix Mercury): Kamilla Cardoso, C, South Carolina
- Los Angels Sparks (via Seattle Storm): Rickea Jackson, F, Tennessee
- Dallas Wings (via Chicago Sky): Jacy Sheldon, G, Ohio State
- Washington Mystics: Aaliyah Edwards, F, UConn
- Chicago Sky (via Minnesota Lynx): Angel Reese, F, LSU
- Minnesota Lynx (via Atlanta Dream): Alissa Pili, F, Utah
- Dallas Wings: Carla Leite, G, France
- Connecticut Sun: Leïla Lacan, G, France
- New York Liberty: Marquesha Davis, G, Ole Miss
- Atlanta Dream (via Las Vegas Aces): Nyadiew Puoch, F, Austrailia
Round 2
- Chicago Sky (via Phoenix Mercury): Brynna Maxwell, G, Gonzaga
- Seattle Storm: Nika Mühl, G, UConn
- Indiana Fever: Celeste Taylor, G, Ohio State
- Las Vegas Aces (via Los Angeles Sparks): Dyaisha Fair, G, Syracuse
- New York Liberty (via Chicago Sky): Esmery Martinez, F, Arizona
- Las Vegas Aces (via Washington Mystics): Kate Martin, G, Iowa
- Connecticut Sun (via Minnesota Lynx): Taiyanna Jackson, C, Kansas
- Atlanta Dream: Isobel Borlase, G, Australia
- Washington Mystics (via Dallas Wings): Kaylynne Truong, G, Gonzaga
- Connecticut Sun: Helena Pueyo, G, Arizona
- New York Liberty: Jessika Carter, C, Mississippi State
- Las Vegas Aces: Elizabeth Kitley, C, Virginia Tech
Round 3
- Phoenix Mercury: Charisma Osborne, G, UCLA
- Seattle Storm: Mackenzie Holmes, F, Indiana
- Indiana Fever: Leilani Correa, G, Florida
- Los Angeles Sparks: Mackenzie Forbes, F, USC
- Phoenix Mercury (via Chicago Sky): Jaz Shelley, G, Nebraska
- Washington Mystics: Nastja Claessens, G, Belgium
- Minnesota Lynx: Kiki Jefferson, G, Louisville
- Atlanta Dream: Matilde Villa, G, Italy
- Dallas Wings: Ashley Owusu, G, Penn State
- Connecticut Sun: Abbey Hsu, G, Columbia
- New York Liberty: Kaitlyn Davis, F, USC
- Las Vegas Aces: Angel Jackson, C, Jackson State
