Caitlin Clark is arguably one of the biggest names in basketball at the moment. With her legendary performances during the 2023 NCAA tournament and her past achievements, she is unusually better than most of her WNBA counterparts. If she were to play for the organization, she would almost instantly dominate. Clark is not someone out of the ordinary nor does she act like one. In Iowa, she is already a certified legend.
Putting aside her obvious dominance in women’s basketball in the United States, she has also represented the country before. Caitlin Clark participated in the FIBA U-19 World Cup in 2019 and 2021, winning a gold medal both times. She also took part in the U-16 FIBA Americas Champion and grabbed the gold medal there as well. Having the amount of experience she has is a bonus on her resume.
Caitlin Clark has won the 2023 women’s Wooden Award as the national player of the year after her record-breaking season 👏 @IowaWBB | #ThatsaW pic.twitter.com/c3ZyxxBYid
— ESPN (@espn) April 4, 2023
Now, many are excited to see the Iowa Hawkeyes point guard participate in the WNBA. Her performances during the 2023 NCAA Tournament had her averaging 27.8 points, 8.6 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game while recording 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks as well. Ever since committing to Iowa, Clark has not had a dull season nor has she averaged below 25 points per game. This would be a spectacular sight in the WNBA and may potentially increase their viewership as well. But it might be a year before that happens.
Caitlin Clark is not eligible to declare for the WNBA Draft
Unfortunately, Caitlin Clark will not be appearing on a WNBA court anytime soon due to her age. The organization strictly allows players of the age of 22 or above to declare for the draft. Players will have to complete their college eligibility or finish their degree and then participate in the draft. Despite this strict rule, there are a few exceptions that are being made every year for new players to join the WNBA family.
Caitlin Clark has left her mark on the sport of women’s basketball 💪 pic.twitter.com/raU5O0j4q3
— ESPN (@espn) April 2, 2023
If college athletes complete their college courses before turning 22, they are eligible to declare for the WNBA Draft. International players are eligible to participate in the draft if they are 20 years of age. Similarly, even the NBA also has an age of 19 for male prospects to take part in the draft. Caitlin Clark had just recently turned 21 in January, which makes her ineligible.
Certain degrees usually are completed in three years while Clark, who majors in Marketing, still has one more year to graduate. If she had graduated this year, the WNBA would have made an exception for her to be drafted. The draft usually takes place during the month of June. We will expect Clark’s presence in the 2024 WNBA Draft as she will be 22 years and five months old.