The star-studded 2024 WNBA draft generated national excitement like none other.
USC’s very own McKenzie Forbes and Kaitlyn Davis gave cardinal-and-gold fans something to cheer about, becoming the 17th and 18th Trojans to be drafted to the WNBA.
It was only fitting for USC alumna and basketball legend Cheryl Miller to make the announcement: “The L.A. Sparks, with the 28th pick, select McKenzie Forbes from USC.”
Davis’s name was also called in the third round as the 35th overall pick by the New York Liberty.
With the Liberty’s location in Brooklyn, Davis is only a Brooklyn Bridge away from her alma mater, Columbia University, where she clinched a league championship her senior year.
This is the fourth time that Southern California has successfully sent a pair to the women’s draft. Just last year, graduates Okaka Adika and Kadi Sissoko were successive third-round selections, going to Liberty and Phoenix Mercury, respectively.
Forbes and Davis completed their final year of NCAA eligibility with a lucrative farewell to the USC program.
Both graduate transfers were instrumental to USC’s success. Not only did the Trojans take the Pac-12 Tournament championship, but they also earned a No. 1 seed in March Madness, reaching the Elite Eight for the first time since 1994.
Forbes earned Pac-12 Tournament MVP honors after a 26-point performance to upset Stanford. With a career-best 14.3 points per game, she was an important second scoring option for USC alongside freshman guard JuJu Watkins. When her impact isn’t always evident in the box score, it’s through her voice. Forbes commands the court and demands excellence of herself and her teammates.
Davis also exuded leadership the past season, bringing balance to the court. She plays with passion and control, grace and ferocity. Davis’s steadiness anchored the Trojans in crunch time. She was most effective around the rim on both ends of the court, averaging 5.8 rebounds per game.
Drafting Forbes and Davis is a major nod of recognition to their effects on the game. While the WNBA’s limited roster spots will make it tough for them to see an opening game day, they were undoubtedly chosen for a broad skill set.
Overall, the 2024 rookie class, in its incredible depth, is unlike any other before.
Following record-breaking viewership of the women’s collegiate tournament, all eyes immediately turned to the professional stage, which placed the talented incoming class in the limelight.
The ESPN live stream reached a peak of 2.4 million spectators, an over 400% increase from the 572,000 viewers during the 2023 WNBA draft.
The first overall pick was not a difficult question. The Indiana Fever easily and gladly answered with Iowa guard Caitlin Clark.
Clark’s achievements exceed measurement.
You could glance at the numbers and see her NCAA record-breaking 3,951 points. You could see her packed trophy case, which includes back-to-back National Player of the Year honors. You could even quantify the distance of her long-range signature shot, a whopping 30 feet away from the iron.
The most impressive feat that Clark boasts is beyond individual accomplishment. Her past couple seasons sparked widespread and intense engagement in women’s basketball. She has transformed the nation’s relationship and connection with the sport.
Clark will decidedly remain a Midwest machine.
Other selections included Defensive Player of the Year Cameron Brink and reigning NCAA champion Kamilla Cardoso. The No. 2 overall pick, Brink, will go down south in the Golden State to play for the L.A. Sparks, and Cardoso took the third spot for Chicago Sky.
In the Windy City, Cardoso is joined by LSU alumna Angel Reese, the No. 7 overall pick. The two teammates were previously fierce competitors, as seen in the 2024 SEC Championship.
Needless to say, the WNBA will benefit from national intrigue in this particular year of college-to-pro transition.