Caitlin Clark’s WNBA Salary Is Shocking, Outrages Fans

Iowa star Caitlin Clark was the 1st pick in the WNBA draft this year and her contract is getting some criticism.

We all know women still aren't treated as equals in the workplace. We often get paid less than men despite doing the same or even harder job. I've run into it before myself. For some reason, in the year 2024, this is still an issue. And a perfect example of that came up during the WNBA draft.

Caitlin Clark is redefining not only women's basketball but also drawing more attention to women's sports. She's broken so many records and she's earned every bit of it. This week, she was selected as the 1st overall draft pick in the WNBA and will play for the Indiana Fever.

Her Contract Is Ticking People Off

To put this in perspective, according to Real GM, an average NBA rookie contract might look like this:

• Year 1: $10,133,900
• Year 2: $10,640,800
• Year 3 Option: $11,147,400

Caitlin's contract, meanwhile, looks like this:

Are you actually kidding me right now? For a once-in-a-generation player?

Not surprisingly, according to TODAY, people aren't happy about it, and even male athletes like Russell Wilson are advocating for women athletes to get paid more.

Caitlin will still likely make money from endorsements to help her out but that gap between an NBA rookie's average $10 million and Caitlin's $76,000 is undeniably problematic.

But there's a revenue difference for the WNBA vs. the NBA too. For media rights, the WNBA makes about $60 million a year. The NBA is in the middle of a $24 billion television deal that pays out $2.7 billion annually.

The WNBA hopes Caitlin will be a draw for people to watch games this year, which is why 36 out of the Indiana Fever's 40 games will be televised.