Getty Caitlin Clark has a low WNBA salary, but her endorsement deals are lucrative.
Caitlin Clark’s WNBA salary with the Indiana Fever is likely lower than most fans think at $76,535 for her rookie season. It is a low number for the Fever guard who has emerged as one of the most recognizable athletes in the country.
Clark’s salary is part of a potential four-year rookie contract with Indiana worth up to $338,056, per the WNBA collective bargaining agreement. Where Clark will make the majority of her money is through endorsements and business opportunities. Many of Clark’s NIL partnerships (most of which were with national brands) can simply turn into endorsements as she begins her WNBA career.
It may also surprise fans to learn that Clark is making the same salary as the top four picks in the 2024 WNBA draft. As the No. 1 selection, Clark is among the top four draft picks who are all signing a similar WNBA contract.
Clark’s contract is a three-year deal, and the Fever have a team option for a fourth season. It is hard to imagine Indiana will not exercise this option for the 2027 season.
Clark will get a slight raise in her second season at $78,066. The guard will earn $85,873 in 2026, and the final season (if exercised by the Fever) will be $97,582 in 2027.
The good news is that the WNBA salaries could be on the rise as part of the league’s current TV deal is set to expire after the 2024-25 NBA season. Right now, the WNBA’s deal with ABC-ESPN is bundled with the NBA.
Caitlin Clark’s Deal With Nike Is Worth Up to $28 Million
“[Caitlin Clark] is nearing a multiyear, lucrative 8-figure deal with Nike as her shoe company…Under Armour, Adidas, I’m told also made sizable offers—Stephen Curry was involved in the Under Armour pitch…but she is not signing there, and she will soon be official with Nike.”…
Clark’s WNBA salary may be underwhelming, but the star is set to make a sizable amount of money in the business world. The Wall Street Journal’s Rachel Bachmen reported that Clark’s Nike deal is an eight-year, worth up to $28 million. Clark’s reps were seeking $3 million annually in negotiations which included Nike, Under Armour and Adidas.
“Nike, which declined to comment for this article, had already signed Clark once before,” Bachman wrote in an April 19, 2024 story titled, “How Nike Won the Battle for Caitlin Clark.”
“But that was in 2022, before she took over the national sports conversation with her prolific scoring, gravity-defying 3-pointers and feisty-girl-next-door persona. That original deal was set to expire at the end of the 2023-24 college basketball season—and everyone in the sneaker business knew it.”
Caitlin Clark & WNBA Player Salaries Could Rise After the Next TV Deal
We are already seeing improvements for WNBA players even before the new television deal has been inked. The league has agreed to charter flights for all WNBA teams this season.
“We need the ecosystem, essentially, the sports ecosystem, to step up,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert detailed during a May 12 interview with “NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson.” “And I feel really good that that’s going to happen with our next media rights negotiation, as well as our corporate partners. Our phones are ringing off the hook.”
Caitlin Clark Passed on Steph Curry’s Under Armour Pitch
Clark has other business partnerships beyond Nike which includes State Farm. The Swoosh was able to re-sign Clark despite a pitch from Golden State Warriors legend Stephen Curry to join Under Armour.
“Clark was expected to land one of the most lucrative sneaker deals in the WNBA as sponsors have flocked to her in recent months and showed their desire to be in the Caitlin Clark business,” The Athletic’s Shams Charnia, Mike Vorkunov and Ben Pickman noted in an April 17 article, “Caitlin Clark nearing endorsement deal with Nike: Sources.” “She already has endorsement deals with Gatorade, State Farm and Panini.
“Golden State’s Stephen Curry — who launched Curry Brand as a signature, standalone venture with Under Armour — participated in the companies‘ meeting with Clark, industry sources said.”