Caitlin Clark recently started her professional basketball career with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever.
Known for her impressive college performance, she became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I basketball for both men and women.
Clark’s achievements have brought new attention to women’s basketball, highlighting its historically lower popularity and financial support compared to men’s basketball.
Here’s a breakdown of Clark’s current net worth, her potential earnings on the court, and a comparison with top NBA players’ salaries.
Net Worth and Pay 2024
Since Caitlin Clark just began her WNBA career, her net worth is difficult to determine precisely but is estimated at around $3.8 million.
This estimate aligns with her last NIL valuation of $3.4 million, which measures the value of college athletes based on their name, image, and likeness.
Factoring in her four-year contract with the Indiana Fever, her net worth is likely in the range of $3.7 to $3.8 million.
The Indiana Fever drafted her first overall in the 2024 WNBA draft, granting her a contract worth $338,000 over four years.
- 2024: $76,535
- 2025: $78,066
- 2026: $85,873
- 2027: $97,582
The WNBA offers Player Marketing Agreements (PMAs) to standout players, which can pay up to $250,000 for acting as brand ambassadors for the league and its partners.
Additionally, Clark has signed endorsement deals with major brands such as Nike and Wilson Sporting Goods Co., and during college, she partnered with Gatorade, Bose, State Farm, and others.
While her salary may seem modest compared to other sports, especially men’s, her endorsement deals significantly boost her overall earnings.
Nike Endorsement
Nike, which signed an NIL deal with Caitlin Clark in 2022, is reportedly renewing their partnership with her.
The new deal is said to be worth $28 million over eight years and includes a signature shoe.
If finalized, this would be the most lucrative sponsorship deal ever signed by a women’s basketball player.
Despite her potential earnings from endorsements and other agreements, her WNBA salary is much lower than that of NBA players.
As the No. 1 overall draft pick, Clark will earn $76,535 in her first year with the Indiana Fever.
In contrast, the average NBA salary for the 2023-24 season was over $10 million, with the league minimum set at more than $1.1 million.
The gap is even wider when comparing Clark’s salary to top NBA players.
For example, Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors made nearly $52 million for the 2023-24 season and is expected to earn $55.76 million in the 2024-25 season.
How Did Caitlin Get Started?
She grew up in a family of athletes and began playing basketball at a young age. She often competed against her two brothers, and her rapid development led her parents to enroll her in boys’ teams during grade school.
Although she didn’t win a high school title, Clark earned two gold medals with the USA Under-16 and U19 teams at the international level.
As a junior, she was named Gatorade National Player of the Year after averaging 32.6 points per game, including an impressive 60-point game that season.
“I remember thinking, ‘How in the world can somebody score 60 points in a high school basketball game?’”
her former rival and later teammate, Megan Meyer said.
By that time, Clark was already known for her deep 3-pointers, often called “logo 3s,” which few players, male or female, could match.
Her sharp, aggressive play style attracted attention from women’s college basketball programs across the country.
Education
She chose to attend the University of Iowa after considering Notre Dame, Iowa, and Iowa State.
This decision proved pivotal, as it set the stage for her to become a standout D-I scorer and a nationally recognized player, significantly boosting the profile of women’s basketball.
Clark racked up 3,951 points over 139 college games, breaking a 54-year-old record to become the all-time leading scorer in Division I history.
She averaged 31.6 points per game in her senior year and 28.4 points overall.
Her performance in the 2023 national championship game, despite Iowa’s loss to LSU, drew a record 9.9 million viewers.
An April game against LSU also attracted an average of 12.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched women’s college basketball game ever and outdrawing any sports event aside from the NFL last year.
