The Indiana Fever have won the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft for the second straight year, and now have a chance to possibly add Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark to the team.
The results of the WNBA draft lottery were officially announced in a 30-minute show on ESPN on Sunday afternoon, and the final results of the lottery resulted in the Fever picking first.
It is the second time in Fever franchise history that they have the No. 1 pick, joining the 2023 draft, when they drafted Aliyah Boston, who became the Rookie of the Year. Boston was at the ESPN Studios in Bristol, Conn., as a representative for the Fever.
Heading into the lottery, the Fever had a 44.2% chance of landing the top selection. The Phoenix Mercury had the second-best odds with a 27.6% chance, and the Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm had a 17.8% and 10.8% chance, respectively.
The Fever have had the top odds in the draft four times, including this season. Despite having the best odds in 2019 and 2022, the Fever did not get the top pick either time. Indiana got the third pick in 2019 and second pick in 2022.
This is the fourth time in WNBA history a team has had the No. 1 pick for multiple years. The Seattle Storm had the top picks in 2001 and 2002, picking Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird, respectively. The Storm again had the No. 1 pick in 2015 and 2016, choosing Jewell Loyd and reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart.
The Las Vegas Aces franchise, the current two-time reigning WNBA champions, had the No. 1 pick for three straight years. It started in 2017 when the franchise was still in San Antonio, and it picked Kelsey Plum. The Aces also got the No. 1 pick in the two years after they moved to Las Vegas, picking A’ja Wilson in ‘18 and Jackie Young in ‘19. All three of those players are still in the starting lineup for the Aces.
Now, the Fever will have the top choice of the best player coming out of the 2024 draft. Iowa guard and reigning national player of the year Caitlin Clark is the presumed No. 1 pick — if she decides to come out to the draft. She has one more year of eligibility because of COVID-19.
Between now and the WNBA draft in April, the Fever’s objective will be convincing Clark to go pro in 2024.