Despite a rough patch initially, Caitlin Clark has been exceptional throughout the season. In fact, she’s the first rookie to shatter records enough to accumulate a total of 19. That’s how she secured the near-unanimous “Rookie of the Year” title. But her honor wasn’t just limited to a trophy; it came with a smile for her bank balance too.

According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, ROTY comes with a bonus of $5,150. It might seem impressive until you compare it to her other cheque as a rookie.

Clark’s on the All-WNBA first team

This Wednesday, Caitlin Clark became the first rookie in the last 16 years to earn a spot on the All-WNBA First Team. And well, this honor also comes with prize money. According to Rachel Galligan’s post on X, Clark will receive a staggering $10,300 check, whereas members of the second team will get the same amount as her ROTY title bonus.

This simply means Clark is receiving double the amount credited to her bank after the Rookie of the Year win for joining Napheesa Collier, MVP A’ja Wilson, Alyssa Thomas, and Breanna Stewart. On the other hand, Sabrina Ionescu, Nneka Ogwumike, Jonquel Jones, Kahleah Copper, and Arike Ogunbowale will each receive $5,150 for being named to the All-WNBA Second Team.

The Indiana Fever standout received 52 first-team votes, the fourth-most overall, to be enlisted on the WNBA First Team. She also finished fourth in MVP voting this season. Like the MVP award, the All-WNBA First Team selection was based on anonymous voting by a national panel of broadcasters and sportswriters. Clearly, no one can deny the 22-year-old Iowa native’s excellence on the court.

Her 19-point average is enough to place her in an elite club, and not just one

By making the list, she became the first rookie since 2008 to receive the honor, following the legend Candace Parker. Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2004), and Tamika Catchings (2002) were also First Team rookies. This isn’t the first time Clark has earned a ticket to an elite club.

Earlier, when she won the Rookie of the Year title, she became part of another exclusive group. The No. 1 overall draft pick by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 draft became one of only 15 first picks in the WNBA draft to win the accolade. Want to know what it takes to get your name on all those lists? For the Indiana Fever standout, it took an average of 19.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and a league-high 8.4 assists per game.

But that’s not all. She appeared in all 40 of the Fever’s games in the 2024 season while helping them make their first playoff appearance in eight years. Although their postseason run ended in Round 1 against the Connecticut Sun, it only seems to have set the pace for the team. If Clark keeps up, she could just rewrite history for Indiana.