How much does Caitlin Clark make?!
On Monday, the college basketball superstar was selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA by the Indiana Fever, a moment of celebration for the star that has now been punctuated by the announcement of an incredibly paltry salary.
Clark will receive a base salary of $338,056 over the next four years, a figure that is easily eclipsed even by the A years of salary of their male counterparts.
Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, was set to make $55 million in his first four years and $12.1 million in his first year alone. By comparison, Clark and the other picks 2-4 in the draft will only pocket $76,535 in their first year, according to the WNBA collective bargaining agreement.
This glaring discrepancy is unfortunately nothing new, as networks like ESPN have never had to pay much to broadcast women’s basketball. According to SportsPro Media, the WNBA generates annual broadcast revenue of $60 million, compared to $2.7 billion for the NBA.
The player pay gap reflects this. In 2023, the average WNBA player received a base salary of $113,295, while the average NBA player received a base salary of $9.7 million, according to Vox. Clark still has millions of dollars to make from sponsorships, and as she and her fellow star athletes raise the profile of women’s sports, it’s entirely possible that payouts will increase.
Still, the small salary dismayed those who followed Clark throughout her season, as she sold out stadiums and was a tour de force on the field.
“That can’t be true,” said Today show host Hoda Kotb, who expressed her own disappointment and confusion over the lame base salary on her show Tuesday.
“I imagined the little girls with the signs that filled the stadium, who are now obsessed with basketball, with signs that say Caitlin, and society, I guess, says well, that’s what it’s worth ” Hoda said with a sigh. .
“Honestly, the discrepancy is so shocking,” said co-host Jenna Bush Hager. “We’re talking about equal pay. It’s not even close.
Russell Wilson, quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, posted about Clark’s salary on X on Monday. “These ladies deserve so much more… I’m praying for this day,” he wrote.
