In her first year as a pro athlete, Fever superstar Caitlin Clark made serious inroads in Sportico’s annual highest-paid female athletes list, coming at 10th place behind iconic gymnast Simone Biles, with annual earnings of $11.1 million.
The list — which includes salary/winnings and endorsements — was topped by U.S. tennis star Coco Gauff ($30.4 million), skater Eileen Gu ($22.1 million) and Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek ($21.4 million), followed by Zheng Qinwen ($20.6 million), Aryna Sabalenka ($17.7 million), Naomi Osaka ($15.9 million), Emma Raducanu ($14.7 million) and Nelly Korda ($14.4 million).
“Clark ($11.1 million) makes her list debut after a record-breaking college career that included more than a dozen NIL deals at Iowa,” wrote Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen. “Several of those brands, including Nike, Gatorade, State Farm and Panini, have continued their relationship with Clark as a pro where she was the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever.”
“Nike is Clark’s most valuable endorsement deal. In April, the Swoosh signed the future WNBA Rookie of the Year to an eight-year agreement worth more than $3 million a year on average. Other brand partners include Wilson, Hy Vee, Xfinity, Gainbridge and Lilly.”
Caitlin Clark’s WNBA Salary
At least $11 million of Clark’s $11.1 million earnings came from endorsement deals, per the report. As a WNBA rookie, she earned a base salary of $76,535, besides other performance bonus payments that boosted her on-court earnings to approximately $100,000. This also included the $10,300 bonus to make the All-Star game.
Sportico’s Badenhausen compared Clark’s situation to athletes such as Biles and Gu, both of whom made more than 99% of their income with endorsements. To put things in perspective, Aces star Jackie Young, the highest-earning player in the WNBA in 2023-24, made a base salary of $252,450. In comparison, Stephen Curry earned a base salary of $55.8 million for the 2024-24 NBA season.
In April 2024, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert tried to defend Clark’s $76,535 base salary at a CNBC event.
“[For a] CEO, do you just put the base pay in there?” Engelbert asked, via Sportico. “No, you put their bonus, you put their stock options, you put everything.”
New WNBA TV Deal Ramifacitons
The WNBA’s new TV deal could shore up the salaries of Clark and other stars but industry analysts don’t expect a monumental spike in wages.
“The new TV deal for the two leagues had the WNBA’s share up exponentially more than the NBA on a percentage basis,” Badenhausen wrote. “Yet, even after the WNBA signs its expected additional media agreements that push annual TV revenue to $260 million a year, it will still be less than 4% of the NBA’s pacts. Similar gender disparities in revenue and salaries exist in professional soccer and hockey.”
It’s no secret that WNBA’s controversial pay structure will remain a big talking point entering the 2025 season. The league’s players shockingly opted out of their collective bargaining agreement after the 2024 WNBA Finals.
“Opting out isn’t just about bigger paychecks—it’s about claiming our rightful share of the business we’ve built, improving working conditions, and securing a future where the success we create benefits today’s players and the generations to come,” WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said in a statement. “We’re not just asking for a CBA that reflects our value; we’re demanding it, because we’ve earned it.”
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