There’s no questioning that Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is the face of the WNBA.
More people tune in to watch Clark play than any other player in the league, which is quite an accomplishment considering the league is loaded with elite talents like A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Sabrina Ionescu, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese.
Not only is Clark must-watch TV when she plays, but seemingly everything she does off the court from attending a Kansas City Chiefs game with Taylor Swift to bulking up in the offseason draws quite a bit of attention.
And the latest Clark news, which was announced two days before the team’s second preseason game against the Dallas Wings, is sure to have Fever fans fired up.
Fever Extend Caitlin Clark’s Contract
GettyIndiana Fever star Caitlin Clark missed most of the 2025 season ue to injury
Heading into Year 3, expectations are high for Clark, who’s coming off an injury plagued 2025 season in which she played just 14 games.
But despite missing most of last year, the Fever have seen all they need to see from the 24-year-old guard to know they want to keep her around as long as possible.
“In an unsurprising, yet necessary move for the Fever, they have exercised Caitlin Clark’s fourth-year option. She is now officially under contract through 2027,” ESPN’s Chloe Peterson posted on X.
“Under EPIC, Clark will also be able to renegotiate her fourth-year salary and add an extension.”
The move keeps Clark around at least through the 2027 season. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, Clark’s fourth-year option is set at $597,596.
Her 2026 salary spiked to $528,846 — an approximate 400% raise from the $85,000 she was scheduled to make before the new CBA.
Because she was an All-WNBA first-team selection as a rookie, Clark is eligible for a $1.3 million max contract extension in 2027.
Caitlin Clark’s Global Impact
GettyCaitlin Clark #17 practices during the United States Women’s Basketball Team training camp at Duke University
No player draws as big of a crowd, nor do they draw the kind of television ratings that Clark does.
Nine of the Fever’s games during Clark’s rookie year, and five last year were moved to bigger venues to accommodate the increased demand for tickets to watch her play.
Additionally, between her senior season at Iowa through last year, Clark broke 15 television ratings records including the most-watched WNBA game in history (2.7 million viewers) on May 20, 2025, vs. the Chicago Sky, the most-watched WNBA draft ever with 2.45 million viewers in 2024 (the year Clark went No. 1 overall), and the most-watched WNBA debut on May 14, 2024.
Clark also appeared in 21 of the 23 WNBA telecasts that drew 1 million viewers or more during her rookie year.
Not only that, but she’s also an international phenomenon.
During the 2024 Paris Olympics, fans from across the world made it known they weren’t happy Clark was left off the U.S. Olympic roster. Her name was chanted during several of the U.S. women’s basketball games, and signs with her name on them were seen at nearly every game.
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