Lin Dunn, now in her third season as the Indiana Fever GM, was the Seattle Storm head coach and GM when it drafted Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird with back-to-back No. 1 picks in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Although Dunn resigned from the Storm after the 2002 season, Jackson and Bird eventually led the franchise to two championships in 2004 and 2010.
Dunn believes Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark have similar potential as a duo in Indiana after Boston and Clark were selected with consecutive No. 1 picks in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Last season, Boston was the eighth rookie to be chosen as a WNBA All-Star Game starter. Clark, the NCAA’s All-Time leading scorer, recently led Iowa to its second consecutive NCAA Championship appearance after the program had never reached the title game and hadn’t advanced to the Final Four since 1993.
“It doesn’t happen very often, and so when it does happen and you can look back historically, it usually means that it leads to championships,” Dunn said of Clark being paired with Boston. “I think this is the beginning of us getting back on track to win another championship here. When we were able to put Bird and Jackson together, a great point guard and a great post player, we were able to take off in Seattle and I think that can happen here when you put Clark with Boston.”
