The internet is officially going nuts over #1 overall pick Caitlin Clark's rookie contract and I gotta say, I'm here for it.
Let's take a look at this Indiana Fever contract everyone is talking about:
$338,000 for four years.
Fairly typical numbers there for a WNBA rookie, though you'd expect way more for an explosive player like Caitlin Clark. She'll make millions in endorsements, but for some people that's just not cutting it.
Here's what the internet had to say:
As you can see, NBA players make astronomically more money than the women in the WNBA, and that has a lot to do with this:
The WNBA currently makes about $60 million a year from its media rights, which can be renegotiated in 2025, according to Front Office Sports.
In comparison, the NBA is in the midst of a $24 billion television deal that pays $2.7 billion annually. Plus, the league is expected to command between $60 billion and $72 billion when it renegotiates its TV deal this summer, according to Sports Business Journal.
Take 60 million, divide it by 2.7 billion, and you've got a solid 2.2%. The WNBA's TV contract is worth 2.2% of what the NBA's is. This is an almost identical number to the revenue brought in by each league, the WNBA bringing in 2% of what the NBA does.
Now, let's go back to those numbers from the NBA's #1 pick in last year's draft. Victor Wembanyama got $55.2 million for four years; Caitlin gets 338,000, just over half of a percentage (0.6%) of Wembanyama's salary. So in my mind, Caitlin, especially considering all the hype surrounding her, should've at least broken a million for that rookie contract.
To be fair, Victor Wembanyama leads the NBA in blocks by a long shot and is also top ten in rebounds, so there's that. Dude's a straight baller and he's 7'4".
Some more context on WNBA salaries:
The average WNBA salary is $147,745 while the highest-paid player, Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces, made $252,450 this past season.
She'll have to prove herself, but look for Caitlin Clark to become the highest-paid WNBA player in the league in about five years' time.
For now, before I let you go, let's just enjoy the hype of Caitlin Clark.
Here she is being drafted #1 overall by the Indiana Fever:
And here is the response from her teammates, who were in their home stadium for a watch party on draft night.
