Caitlin Clark practices with Indiana Fever teammate and 2023 top pick Aaliyah Boston for the first time… with WNBA’s newest star less than a month away from pro debut
Caitlin Clark practiced with Indiana Fever teammate Aaliyah Boston for the first time on Wednesday, as the WNBA‘s newest star prepares for her pro debut in less than a month.
Clark, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Fever earlier this month, and Boston, who was also taken first overall last year, were seen combining in a video posted by the Fever’s X account.
The former Iowa standout found Boston for an easy layup before the power forward/center returned the favor and set Clark up for an open three.
Clark first worked out with the team on Tuesday, while Boston returned to the court on Wednesday.
The Fever will hope the pairing of Clark and Boston can improve the team’s record after Indiana went just 13-27 and missed the playoffs last season.
Clark enters the WNBA as the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer (men’s or women’s), as she averaged a whopping 28.4 per game with the Hawkeyes.
Boston, meanwhile, had a promising rookie year in the WNBA, averaging 14.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
Clark drove historic viewership numbers for women’s basketball at the college level and is reportedly set to sign an eight-year, $28million deal with Nike.
However, due to the restraints of the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement, she’ll earn a base salary of just $76,535 this season after signing a four-year, $338,056 deal with the Fever.
Nonetheless, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert insisted that Clark will do ‘just fine,’ as the Fever guard could actually earn up to $500,000 with her signing bonus being taken into account.
‘She also has millions and millions of dollars in endorsements, and actually because she’s declared to become pro, her endorsements are higher in dollar value – she has a global platform now, not just a US platform, so she’s going to do just fine as well as will the top players in the league as every league does,’ Engelbert said at a CNBC Changemakers event, according to NJ.com.
Following a whirlwind few weeks, in which Clark’s Iowa lost in the national championship to South Carolina on April 7 before she was drafted eight days later, she’s expected to begin her WNBA career on May 14 vs. the Connecticut Sun.
The Fever’s preseason will begin vs. the Dallas Wings on May 3.
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