From Being Undrafted to Becoming a WNBA All-Star MVP, Know More About Caitlin Clark’s Veteran Teammate Erica Wheeler

The roster of Indiana Fever is not short of skillful ballers. With 2022 NCAA champion Aliyah Boston already in its locker room, this prestigious franchise hit the home run when they drafted NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark this year. However, amidst all this excitement, there is an individual who has quietly contributed to elevating the basketball standards of the team.

With 9 years of experience, Erica Wheeler will have a lot of say on how the squad should approach the upcoming season. Anyhow, that is not the only noteworthy highlight of her career.

Rise of Erica Wheeler from a tough neighborhood through basketball

Brought up in one of the most crime-ridden inner cities in America, Wheeler made her way through the Liberty City into the Parkway Academy. While she was interested in football initially, some bone-crushing hits from her neighborhood boys compelled her interest in basketball. Consequently, she honed her basketball skills which ultimately resulted in her becoming a McDonald’s All-American and also got the scholarship to spend her college days at Rutgers. Moreover, she represented their basketball program at the national level.

For three seasons, she led the Scarlet Knights in the NCAA tournament and contributed with the maximum number of steals. Unfortunately, tragedy struck in her senior year when her mother couldn’t survive after a long-standing battle with cancer. This shocking incident completely devastated Wheeler and almost made her quit the sport. Nonetheless, she picked herself up and graduated along with hanging her college basketball boots.

Although, her life after college didn’t have a smooth sail as many expected.

Wheeler’s journey in the WNBA

The 5-foot-7 guard was undrafted straight out of college. Following this, she had to wait for two more years until the WNBA finally recognized her potential in 2015. A training camp contract got her into the Atlanta Dream where she featured in only 17 games. The New York Liberty was her subsequent destination after this. Here, she took the court in three postseason games. The tides turned in her favor when she was drafted by the Indiana Fever in 2016. She started 107 out of the 136 games over here over the span of four seasons. Additionally, in 2019, she unleashed herself and the first 19 games saw her averaging 14 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.8 rebounds. As a result, Wheeler made it to the All-Star team and became the first undrafted player to win WNBA All-Star MVP.

Sadly, a life-threatening accumulation of fluid around her heart cost her and she was out of the team for two seasons only to return in 2023. On her comeback, Wheeler got another accolade next to her name. Recently, she became the second undrafted player in WNBA history after Becky Hammon to reach 1,000 career assists.

It has been quite a rollercoaster ride for the 32-year-old. Entering her 9th season of professional basketball, surely she will have a lot to pass on to the future generation of stars.