Aliyah Boston loves Caitlin Clark’s versatility.

The Indiana Fever star and WNBA Rookie of the Year spoke with Indianapolis’ WISH-TV about what impresses her about Clark, who is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The Fever won the top pick in the draft lottery for the second straight year after selecting Boston with the No. 1 pick in 2023.

“Super exciting,” Boston said of getting the No. 1 overall pick. “I think it’s going to be a great addition to our team whoever we’re able to draft in that moment. So, I’m really excited.”

When asked specifically about Clark, Boston played coy. Clark has another year of eligibility remaining and remains undecided about her future, though the Iowa star is treating this season as though it’s her last.

“I think whoever we add is going to be amazing,” Boston said. Even still, she did offer up some high praise for Clark, who leads the country in scoring with 30.2 points per game.

When asked what impresses her the most about Clark, Boston listed several attributes.

“How versatile she is. Her vision on the court,” Boston said. “I think that’s super important. And I think she does a great job of that at Iowa.

“I think it’s going to be exciting whatever she decides, whether that’s to come out (into the WNBA Draft) or that’s to stay in. Regardless, ultimately, it’s her decision. She has to do what’s best for her. But whoever we get in the number one pick, they’re going to enjoy the Fever.”

The Indiana Fever hold the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft for the second consecutive year after again winning the draft lottery.

Following the Fever in the 2024 draft will be the Los Angeles Sparks (No. 2), Phoenix Mercury (No. 3) and Seattle Storm (No. 4).

No. 1 overall picks have a prolific history in the WNBA. Those players have won 38 championships, 13 MVPs and 124 All-Star selections, according to ESPN.

The Fever were represented at the draft lottery by 2023 top pick and WNBA rookie of the year Aliyah Boston. If Iowa star Caitlin Clark decides to go pro after her senior season, she and Boston on the same team could prove deadly for the rest of the league. 

“I think it’s just going to be another talented player that we can use to help build us to back to the franchise that the Fever was at, so I’m super excited for the upcoming draft,” Boston said to ESPN on the broadcast. 

Like many other players for the draft, Clark has some NCAA eligibility remaining, which could shake up draft predictions. Players have until March to declare for the draft — unless their team is in the NCAA tournament after the deadline, in which case players have until 48 hours after their final game to declare.

The draft is scheduled for April 15, 2024, and Just Women’s Sports has made early predictions for the lottery picks.

The WNBA draft lottery is set for Dec. 10, with four teams in the running for the No. 1 overall pick — the Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury, Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm.

While the Mercury finished the 2023 season with the worst record, the WNBA combines the two seasons prior to the draft to determine the odds for the No. 1 overall pick. So the Fever, who won the lottery for the first time in franchise history in 2023, have the best shot at the No. 1 pick again in 2024.

Who will each team select when the draft rolls around in April? Just Women’s Sports projects the four lottery picks, based on the team odds for the draft lottery.

1. Indiana Fever: Caitlin Clark, Iowa

Clark is arguably the biggest star in college basketball.

Last year’s consensus player of the year, the Hawkeyes senior proved herself an elite shooter, leading the NCAA in 3-pointers with 140 and finishing second in scoring with 27.8 points per game. She also has the ability to make the players around her better — she led Division I with 8.6 assists per game. And she is putting on a show again this season, with a 44-point game on her stat sheet.

Clark has another year of NCAA eligibility remaining the 2023-24 season, and she has suggested that she may use it. But if she chooses to go to the WNBA, she’s a clear front-runner for the No. 1 overall pick.

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Paige Bueckers has two years of eligibility remaining for UConn, but she also is a top WNBA prospect. (Lance King/Getty Images)

2. Phoenix Mercury: Paige Bueckers, UConn

Bueckers is another elite shooter and playmaker. She secured national player of the year honors as a freshman in 2021, and her shooting ability is nearly unmatched.

The Huskies guard, though, has significantly fewer college appearances under her belt than many of the other players qualified for the 2024 draft due to injuries — including a torn ACL that caused her to miss all of last season.

A redshirt junior, Bueckers has played just 46 games for UConn, and she is eligible to stay with the program through 2026. But after putting together a lackluster season in 2022 and finishing with the worst record overall in 2023, the Mercury may be willing to take a risk for a shot like Bueckers’.

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Stanford's Cameron Brink averaged 3.47 blocks per game last year. (Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)

3. Los Angeles Sparks: Cameron Brink, Stanford

Brink is a versatile big who brings good offense and great defense to the table.

While she is not as prolific a scorer as Clark or Bueckers — a tall order, indeed — her defense makes up for it. The 6-foot-4 senior averaged 3.47 blocks per game last year, placing her third in the league.

And she can score from the post and from the perimeter, making her a smart addition to any team. Brink posted 20 points and 17 rebounds as she showcased her scoring prowess against No. 9 Indiana on Nov. 12.

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Aaliyah Edwards is leading UConn in scoring so far this season. (G Fiume/Getty Images)

4. Seattle Storm: Aaliyah Edwards, UConn

The departure of Breanna Stewart has left the Storm in need of a strong post presence, and UConn’s leading scorer could provide just that.

Edwards led the Huskies on the scoresheet last season, dropping 16.6 points per game, and she leads the team again through four games this season, with 18.0 per game.

Her size is also an advantage — the 6-foot-3 power forward is a force on the court and a fearsome defender and rebounder. She collected an average of 9.0 rebounds per game last season and her one-on-one defense is top-notch.

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Kamilla Cardoso averaged 9.8 points and 8.5 rebounds for South Carolina last season. (Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Honorable mentions

These players also would be great choices in the first round, in no particular order:

  • Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina
  • Angel Reese, LSU
  • Hailey Van Lith, LSU
  • Rickea Jackson, Tennessee
  • Georgia Amoore, Virginia Tech
  • Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State

Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston could be WNBA teammates in 2024, and they are well aware of the possibility.

Clark enters the college basketball season as the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The Iowa superstar has yet to determine whether she’ll go pro or return for a fifth year with the Hawkeyes — but if she heads to the WNBA, there is a good chance she will wind up with Boston.

The Indiana Fever selected Boston with No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, and the former South Carolina standout went on to become the unanimous selection for WNBA Rookie of the Year. The Fever also hold the best odds for the No. 1 pick in 2024, with a 44.2% chance of winning the draft lottery on Dec. 10.

Boston, who is making her broadcast debut as an analyst for Big Ten basketball games this season, sat down with Clark in October for a Taylor Swift-themed interview. So it was inevitable that the draft would come up.

“Well, the Indiana Fever could have the first pick, so maybe we’ll have the duo,” Clark said. “I don’t know. Remains to be seen. But me and Aliyah might be teammates at some point, you never know.”

Of course, the two aren’t strangers to one another on the court. Clark and Iowa beat out Boston and South Carolina in the 2023 Final Four, and the two also have been teammates on Team USA.

“We were teammates before, so maybe we’ll have to reconnect,” Clark said of the WNBA draft, to which Boston replied: “Exactly.”

Still, Clark is entering her senior season with her mind open to all possibilities. But she knows she does not want to live with any regrets.

“I don’t know if I’m going to stay, I don’t know if I’m going to go,” she said. “I think it’s just something that, your time in college is so special. It’s different from being a pro. Obviously I haven’t lived that, but you just kind of know that from watching the WNBA, I’m a big fan. And I just want to experience every single moment and really soak it in. Soak in the games we lose, soak in the games we win.

“I feel like I was just a freshman — you can probably say the same. Time flies by, but these are some of the best moments of your life. So I think the biggest thing is, I don’t know what I’m going to do yet, but I’m just going to enjoy every single experience that I have this year because each one is unique and each one is special in its own way.”

The WNBA draft lottery will be held at 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Dec. 10, the league announced Tuesday.

The lottery, which will air on ESPN, will decide the top four picks for the 2024 WNBA draft. The 2024 draft class should be laden with talent, including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers. But all three of those players hold at least one more year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which could complicate the picture.

Teams’ lottery odds are determined via their combined records from the 2022 and 2023 WNBA seasons. The Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury, Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm are in the running for the No. 1 overall pick.

The Fever, who won the lottery for the first time in franchise history in 2023, have the best shot at the No. 1 pick again in 2024. With this year’s top pick, Indiana selected South Carolina star Aliyah Boston, who became the unanimous pick for WNBA Rookie of the Year.

2024 WNBA draft lottery: Team odds

  • Indiana Fever — 18-58 record — 44.2% chance at No. 1 pick
  • Phoenix Mercury — 24-52 — 27.6%
  • Los Angeles Sparks — 30-46 — 17.8%
  • Seattle Storm — 33-43 — 10.4%

There is a lot of mutual respect between Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston.

Speaking at the 2023 espnW Women and Sports Summit, Parker noted that her mother and her daughter are “big Aliyah Boston fans.” And it’s the way that Boston has carried herself throughout her college career and into the WNBA that has made Parker a big fan as well.

“I think the biggest thing for me is to see young women athletes taking advantage of the platform that they have and doing it in the way that Aliyah does it,” Parker said. “The way that she carries herself, the family that she comes from, she’s a beast. I’ve guarded her, that’s how I know my time is coming. She’s a beast in the paint, but she steps outside the lines and she’s about family, she’s about uplifting others.”

It’s no secret that Boston is a huge fan of Parker. Boston shouted out the two-time WNBA MVP after winning the national championship at South Carolina in 2022, grabbing the mic from Holly Rowe to tell Parker hello in a moment that later went viral.

“Candace Parker, I’d like to say hi,” she said to the three-time WNBA champion, who was sitting courtside at the national title game. “I love you girl.”

And as good as Boston is on the court, Parker also knows that how you handle yourself off it is just as important. And it’s one area in which Boston has excelled, as the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year has never made excuses for herself.

That’s one of the reasons why Boston is such a great role model for young girls, including Parker’s daughter, Parker said.

“I think the biggest thing, you handle yourself in success as you handle yourself in failure,” she said. “My biggest thing is, everything is great when you’re winning championships. But what happens when you’re not? And what happens when people say things about you on social media? Or you don’t win the championship and you come to make excuses?

“She never has done that. And I think that’s the respect that I have for her. And she’s inspiring that next young girl that wants to be herself and wants to be like Aliyah Boston.”

Aliyah Boston is the unanimous selection for the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year award, receiving all 60 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

The No. 1 overall pick out of South Carolina proved to be everything and more for the Indiana Fever this season, putting together one of the best rookie seasons on record. Her 14.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game helped the Fever to 13 wins, an improvement from the five games they won last season.

Boston led all rookies in scoring, rebounds, steals, blocks and minutes per game. She also became just the sixth rookie All-Star starter.

In the first six games of her career, Boston averaged 15 points per game on 70% shooting – something no other WNBA player had done before. And she’s the first player in WNBA history to average 15 points per game on 60% shooting through 20 career games.

“Aliyah’s not normal. She’s not the normal rookie,” Fever veteran Erica Wheeler said. “She understands what it means to be a great teammate, and a great sister, too. She’s a franchise player.”

In August, Boston became the fourth rookie in WNBA history to have a 25-point, 10-rebound, four-steal game. She finished the season with 11 double-doubles to lead the 2023 rookie class.

Joining Boston on the All-Rookie team are Dorka Juhász and Diamond Miller of the Minnesota Lynx, Li Meng of the Washington Mystics and Jordan Horston of the Seattle Storm.

The announcement of the 2023 WNBA MVP award, won by New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart, elicited a flood of reactions on social media.

Stewart won the award with 446 points, but received fewer first-place votes than runner-up Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun. Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson finished in third place.

Dawn Staley, who coached Wilson at South Carolina, congratulated Stewart on her victory and Thomas on her historic season. But she had harsh words for one voter, who put Aces guard Chelsea Gray in third place on the ballot over Wilson.

“To the fourth place voter, your hate is real and on display,” Staley wrote on X.

U.S. women’s national team and San Diego Wave star Alex Morgan also complimented Stewart.

Several WNBA players and members of the media called out the voting process. Each voter on a national panel of 60 sportswriters and broadcasters listed their top five candidates, with the No. 1 player on each ballot receiving 10 points. Each subsequent spot on the ballot received fewer points, from seven for a second-place vote down to one for a fifth-place vote.

 

Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud wanted to see members of the voting panel stand behind their choices. Voters can reveal their ballots, but they are not required to do so.

Cloud already had slammed the WNBA awards voting process after being shut out for the All-Defensive Team selections, writing in a since-deleted post: “Voting for this league is a joke.”

Meanwhile, Indiana Fever rookie Aliyah Boston joked about her own MVP prospects. The former South Carolina star appeared on one MVP ballot, receiving a single point for a fifth-place vote, but she remains the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award.

“I’m almost there don’t play,” she wrote on X.

Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr.’s alleged assault of former Indiana Fever guard Kysre Gondrezick left her with a fractured neck vertebra and a cut above her right eye, prosecutors revealed Tuesday.

Gondrezick and Porter, her boyfriend, were staying at a hotel in New York City for Fashion Week. Porter returned to their room early Monday morning, but Gondrezick, upset with his late return, locked the door. After Porter gained entry to the room with help from hotel security, he assaulted Gondrezick, ABC News reported.

Porter, 23, was arrested Monday morning. While he was released Tuesday on $75,000 bail, he has been ordered to stay away from Gondrezick. He has pled not guilty to felony assault and strangulation charges.

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft, Gondrezick, 27, played 19 games for the Indiana Fever in 2021. She was waived ahead of the 2022 season, and she has not played the last two seasons.

Porter, the No. 30 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of USC, has played with Houston for the last three seasons.

“We are in the process of gathering information surrounding the matter involving Kevin Porter Jr.,” the Rockets said in a statement Monday. “We have no further comment at this time.” The NBA issued a similar statement.

Porter was traded to Houston from the Cleveland Cavaliers after a locker room outburst in January 2021, the last in a series of issues during his time with the Cavaliers. Porter was suspended for one game as a rookie for making contact with an official, and then was arrested during the 2020 offseason for improper handling of a firearm.

With less than a week left in the WNBA regular season, seven teams have clinched playoff spots, three have been eliminated, and two squads are competing for the eighth and final spot.

Here’s how the playoff picture looks as the regular season heads to the finish line.

Clinched

Las Vegas Aces

The Aces set a WNBA record with 30 wins this season and currently have the No. 1 seed for the playoffs. The Aces are guaranteed to finish with the No. 1 or No. 2 seed, but with four of their six losses coming in August, Las Vegas has been in jeopardy of losing the top spot to New York.

In the first 40-game season in WNBA history, the Aces are beginning to show cracks in their depth. Head coach Becky Hammon pulled her starters with 3:04 remaining in a loss to Washington on Aug. 26, admitting afterward that the Aces “weren’t winning that game” because of fatigue. The team has responded in the past week, winning two in a row to remain one game ahead of New York in the standings. If the Aces win their last two games, they’ll clinch the No. 1 seed; if the Aces and the Liberty end the season in a tie, the Aces need Minnesota (19-19) to finish at .500 or above to win the tiebreaker.

New York Liberty

The Liberty also have a playoff spot locked up and are currently on a seven-game win streak in an effort to overtake Las Vegas for the No. 1 seed.

In the event of a tie, the tiebreaker goes to the team with the better record against teams that finished the year at .500 or above. As mentioned above, Minnesota is the key to this equation: The Aces are 3-0 over the Lynx this season, and would win the tiebreaker if the Lynx — with games against Chicago and Indian remaining — finish at .500 or above. Unlike the Aces, the Liberty’s depth is one of their biggest strengths.

Connecticut Sun

Though often overlooked, the Sun have been a surprising contender this season — due in large part to triple-double queen Alyssa Thomas — and have the No. 3 seed secured. With two regular season games remaining, they have no more room to move up or down at this point and will look toward the playoffs.

Dallas Wings

The Wings punched their playoff ticket with a win over Indiana on Friday. They could have locked up the No. 4 seed with a win in either of their last two games, but they’ve since suffered a loss to Indiana in overtime and a one-point loss to New York on Tuesday. Dallas, currently one game ahead of Minnesota, has two more games to secure the four seed and homecourt advantage in the first round.

Minnesota Lynx

The Lynx have enjoyed quite the turnaround after an 0-6 start to the season. They’ve pushed their way into the middle of the pack thanks to a career-best scoring season from Napheesa Collier and the development of the team’s rookies, notably No. 2 draft pick Diamond Miller and second-round pick Dorka Juhász. With two straight wins to start September, the Lynx clinched a playoff berth and are currently holding onto the No. 5 seed. The 2023 Lynx are just the second team in WNBA history to lose at least their first six games and still make the postseason.

Washington Mystics

The Mystics have struggled with consistency this season, largely due to injuries. They’ve won more than two games in a row just once, but with the return of Elena Delle Donne, they clinched a spot in the playoffs with a win over Phoenix on Tuesday. They had just eight players available in that game and continue to manage injuries, including veteran Kristi Toliver’s torn ACL, but they’ll make their sixth postseason appearance in seven seasons as the current No. 7 seed.

Atlanta Dream

After the Dream went on a seven-game winning streak in July, August wasn’t so kind to Tanisha Wright’s squad. They went 3-8 and fell down the standings as a result. Their early-season success helped secure them a playoff spot regardless, with a win over Seattle on Wednesday night pushing them over the line. Atlanta currently owns the No. 6 seed, with the tiebreaker advantage over Washington. The Dream’s postseason appearance will be their first in five years.

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Diana Taurasi and Phoenix will miss the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

Out

Seattle Storm

In the Storm’s first season without Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd had an incredible individual campaign, leading the WNBA in scoring. But as a team, the Storm struggled mightily and were officially ruled out of playoff contention for the first time in seven consecutive seasons.

Phoenix Mercury

The Mercury were also eliminated last month, marking the first time since 2012 that the franchise won’t make a postseason appearance. Despite Diana Taurasi’s historic season and Brittney Griner’s triumphant return, this result was not wholly unexpected. The Mercury are still attempting to right the ship after firing head coach Vanessa Nygaard earlier in the season and competing without Skylar Diggins-Smith, who is on maternity leave.

Indiana Fever

Indiana held an outside shot of making the playoffs into September, before losing to Dallas on Sept. 1 and being officially eliminated. The Fever will enter the offseason with plenty of bright spots to build on, most notably Rookie of the Year frontrunner Aliyah Boston.

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The 2021 WNBA champion Chicago Sky are in the hunt for one of the final playoff spots. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Still fighting

Los Angeles Sparks

After enjoying a six-game win streak in August, the Sparks have gone 1-4 in their last five games to put their playoff hopes in jeopardy. L.A. has struggled with injuries, including a non-COVID-related illness that has sidelined Lexie Brown for the majority of the season. They have a shot at sneaking into the postseason in head coach Curt Miller’s first season at the helm, but their window is closing. Chicago holds the tiebreaker for playoff positioning, with a 3-1 season series advantage over L.A.

Chicago Sky

The Sky have won four of their last six games to make a late push for the final playoff spot. With the tiebreaker over the Sparks in hand, Chicago has a legitimate chance at a fifth straight postseason appearance despite losing almost their entire starting core in the offseason and head coach James Wade midseason.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.