Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston once played together on Team USA and the internet thinks they’ll end up teammates again after the Iowa star declared for the WNBA Draft, where Indiana has the top pick
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Caitlin Clark announced her intention to enter the WNBA Draft on Thursday via social media. The unexpected news has generated excitement among fans of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, who will select her as the No. 1 pick and pair her with Aliyah Boston, the team’s top choice last year.
Boston previously spoke about Clark’s quality on the court and what it would be like to share the floor with her at the pro level. It’s easy to see how the duo could blossom into a force to be reckoned with at the next level.
“How versatile she is,” Boston said of what most excites her about Clark. “Her vision on the court. I think that’s super important. And I think she does a great job of that at Iowa. And so, I think it’s going to be exciting whatever she decides, whether that’s to come out or that’s to stay in. Regardless, ultimately, it’s her decision. She has to do what’s best for her.”
READ MORE: Why Caitlin Clark chose to leave Iowa for WNBA and made announcement before end of season
Clark’s draft declaration came a day after a strong performance against Minnesota, when she logged yet another a triple-double. She scored 33 points, made 12 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds, leading the Hawkeyes to a 108-60 victory. With her scoring output, she is now only 18 points away from breaking the NCAA record for all-time leading scorer, regardless of gender.
With Clark expected to be chosen as the first pick in the draft and paired with Boston, many fans generated memes that compared the soon-to-be pair with the legendary duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal from the Los Angeles Lakers. The Fever’s rare retention of two consecutive No. 1 picks allows them to unite the duo, which has been seen as a stroke of good luck by fans.
Boston and Clark are familiar with each other’s games, having previously played together on the Under-19 national team roster for Team USA. They both won a gold medal, with Clark being the youngest team member.
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The pair previously sat down and spoke about the possibility of becoming teammates when Boston made her sports broadcasting debut for Big Ten baseball games last season. Clark teased that the pair could team up before declaring for the draft.
“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.”
“We were teammates before, so maybe we’ll have to reconnect,” Clark continued. Boston simply replied: “Exactly.”
Clark has taken over college basketball both statistically and popularity-wise this season. Her No. 22 jersey was recognized on Iowa’s court after she broke the NCAA women’s basketball scoring record against Michigan. She scored 49 points in that game, setting a new career high and a single-game record for Iowa.