Reporting by Shams Charania, Mike Vorkunov and Ben Pickman Indiana Fever rookie phenom Caitlin Clark — the No. 1 pick in Monday’s WNBA draft — is nearing a lucrative, eight-figure endorsement deal with Nike, industry sources tell The Athletic. Clark is expected to receive a signature Nike shoe as well, those sources said. Under Armour and Adidas also made sizable offers to Clark, two industry sources said. Clark’s previous deal with Nike ended after the conclusion of the recently finished college basketball season, which allowed her to hit the market at the peak of her popularity ..read more

Caitlin Clark was introduced to Indiana as a member of the Fever for the first time Wednesday, as the No. 1 draft pick joined with general manager Lin Dunn and coach Christie Sides to meet with media at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The reception awaiting Clark dwarfed any crowd that has covered the Fever in recent memory, as will be the case for most of her firsts in the WNBA. Among the credentialed media in attendance was Gregg Doyel, an award-winning columnist for The Indianapolis Star. When it was his turn to pose a question to Clark, Doyel made a heart gesture with his hands in her direction ..read more

Stanford's Kiki Iriafen and LSU's Aneesah Morrow are other top prospects next season in what could be an even stronger draft class ..read more

The Sparks were busy on draft night. What grade did Sabreena Merchant hand them after picking Cameron Brink ..read more

The Pulse Newsletter ? | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Trade a pick today. For over a year, we’ve wondered about this moment. Caitlin Clark and her WNBA Draft class, filled with the names that have pushed women’s basketball into the national spotlight, are finally in the league.  Is this level of interest sustainable? Is this one of the most important moments in WNBA history? For now, what we know is this: Last night’s WNBA Draft was likely the most-watched edition in the event’s history ..read more

Lin Dunn compared the new Boston-Clark combo to Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson in Seattle ..read more

Paired with Kamilla Cardoso and on a team that gave her a vote of confidence, Reese is set up well to develop in Chicago ..read more

From the national championship to "SNL" to the Empire State Building to the draft, the Iowa star won't slow down as she heads to the Fever ..read more

The league hopes to reach its number by 2028, Cathy Engelbert said ..read more

Caitlin Clark — the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft on Monday — wasn’t the only star taken off the board early. The Chicago Sky selected LSU’s Angel Reese at No. 7 after picking South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso at No. 3. The Los Angeles Sparks, meanwhile, stacked their roster with Stanford’s Cameron Brink at No. 2 and Tennessee’s Rickea Jackson at No. 4. Here’s the list of the first-round picks: Caitlin Clark, G, Iowa — Indiana Fever Cameron Brink, F, Stanford — Los Angeles Sparks Kamilla Cardoso, C, South Carolina — Chicago Sky (via Phoenix Mercury) Rickea ..read more