Why Caitlin Clark’s WNBA Wage Is Sparking a Debate

Caitlin Clark might have created college or university basketball background, but that won’t translate to substantially in her pocket as she turns professional. 

The enjoyment bordering the 2024 WNBA draft swiftly turned to anger when several admirers discovered how a lot the former College of Iowa star, who was the No. 1 general select, will basically make taking part in basketball skillfully. Above four years, she will receive $338,056, in accordance to the association’s collective bargaining settlement.

Beneath the 2024 WBNA rookie scale for the best 4 draft picks, the 22-year-old—as effectively as Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso and Rickea Jackson—will receive a foundation salary of $76,535 for the first calendar year, $78,066 the 2nd 12 months and $85,873 the 3rd, with a fourth-yr option of $97,582.

Though Caitlin made record as NCAA Division I basketball’s all round best scorer (for adult men and women) in March, her new salary with the Indiana Fever is a lot less than one percent of the No. 1 total select in the 2023 NBA draft, Victor Wembanyama. The San Antonio Spurs star signed a $55 million four-year deal, exactly where he acquired $12.1 million in his initially season, ​​according to the athlete agreement tracker Spotrac.