5 times when a No. 1 pick made the WNBA playoffs ft. Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever have clinched a WNBA playoff berth by defeating the Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings this past week. Both losses helped the sixth-seeded Fever find their way to the postseason for the first time since 2016.

Clark has been a major factor in Indiana's success, and the Fever rookie is the latest in a long line of No. 1 picks who have made it to the playoffs in their debut season.

5 times when a WNBA No. 1 pick made the playoffs

1. Caitlin Clark, 2024

Since returning from the All-Star break, the Fever have a record of 6-1 in their last seven games. During this stretch, Clark has averaged 24.6 points, 9.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game.

Clark is the runaway favorite to win Rookie of the Year, and the Fever, with a 17-16 record, look like legitimate title contenders since returning from the Olympic break.

2. Charli Collier, 2021

Coming out of Texas in 2021, many expected Collier to be the next great WNBA center. Collier was selected by the Dallas Wings as the No. 1 pick in the 2021 WNBA draft after averaging 19.0 points and 11.3 rebounds in her junior year.

Although the Wings made the playoffs in Collier's rookie campaign, the No. 1 pick played a minimal role, averaging 3.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in just 12.3 minutes of playtime per game. Dallas lost to the Chicago Sky in the first round of the playoffs.

In two seasons, Collier appeared in 45 games for the Wings, notching just 18 starts, before being waived by Dallas in 2023. Collier is now playing overseas for A.S. Ramat-Hasharon.

3. Jackie Young, 2019

After landing Jackie Young with the No. 1 pick in 2019, the Las Vegas Aces seemed destined for future success. Young and the Aces lived up to expectations sooner rather than later, finishing 21-13.

Despite struggling in her rookie season, Young started all 34 games, averaging 6.6 points, 4.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds. The Aces won their first playoff series as a franchise, defeating the Sky in the opening round before losing 3-1 to the Washington Mystics in the semifinals.

Young has since turned into a WNBA All-Star and the Aces are hunting for their third-straight title behind Young, A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum.

4. Breanna Stewart, 2016

Stewart was regarded as the next big thing in women's basketball after a historic collegiate career at UConn. The Seattle Storm took Stewart with the No. 1 pick in the 2016 WNBA draft, and she proved her value immediately.

Stewart started in all 34 games as a rookie, averaging 18.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. She wasted no time racking up accolades, earning Rookie of the Year, All-WNBA second-team and All-Defensive second-team honors.

She also finished sixth in MVP voting and second in DPOY voting, leading the Storm to a 16-18 record before suffering a first-round loss to the Atlanta Dream.

5. Brittney Griner, 2013

Entering the 2013 draft, the Phoenix Mercury already featured a top player and were building their offense around Diana Taurasi. The Mercury added a pick-and-roll partner for Taurasi by selecting Griner out of Baylor. The new-look Mercury saw strong contributions from their 6-foot-9 rookie, as Griner averaged 12.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.

Phoenix finished 19-15 after a lackluster 7-27 record the year prior, winning their opening-round series against the LA Sparks. The Mercury were overmatched in the semifinals, losing to the eventual champion Minnesota Lynx.

The future looked bright for a Mercury team that went on to win the championship title the very next season in 2014.