Taking the league by storm, Caitlin Clark is the reason behind bringing all those cliched metaphors to life in terms of making a powerful and visible impact on the league. Leading the league with her ground-breaking marketability and skillful game, Caitlin Clark has broken viewership records every time she steps on the court.

Shattering several long-standing records in college, Clark had already carved her path to the WNBA while keeping her stronghold despite feeling that exhaustion from playing all year round. Coming back from the All-Star break, Clark returned to the floor and has been thrashing almost every opponent that is there in her way, stepping up into a much grander role as a rookie. But, the question still lingers on, is she the highest-paid WNBA rookie despite the contract being the same for the first four picks in the 2024 draft? Let’s find out.

Details of Caitlin Clark’s contract with the Indiana Fever

After being drafted into the WNBA, Caitlin Clark signed a 4-year contract worth $338,056 with the Indiana Fever. According to the WNBA CBA, Clark will earn around $76,535 in her rookie season. Having a gradual increase year by year, she will earn $98,000 approx. in the final year of her contract, i.e. 2027.

Although, her salary details ignited several debates related to the pay disparity between the WNBA and NBA players, however, Clark’s contract follows the standard salary procedure for top-league players, according to which, the players’ salaries are determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiated between the league and the players union, aka the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA).

Revised periodically, the last CBA was concluded in January 2020 which included the league’s salary structure for future seasons till 2027. Hence, the base salary of the top four rookies was designated near around $77,000. It also included that the salaries for rookies drafted in 2024 will increase to $86,000 by 2026.

However, that’s not all she is earning, thanks to Clark’s endorsement deals with brands that have placed Clark on their roster. And, as of 2024, her net worth has risen to around $4 million. Moreover, her multi-year endorsement deal with Nike has been valued at $28 million. With that being said, let’s track her financial progress off the court.

Growth of Clark’s endorsement realm

In her 4 years at Iowa, Caitlin Clark grew into one of the brightest stars the NCAA had seen. Hence, she was among the top-earning student-athletes at the time having NIL deals with brands like Gatorade, Nike, Xfinity, and H&R Block, to name a few.

Upgraded to the WNBA, Clark signed an endorsement deal with a regional sponsor in the Indianapolis area, i.e. Gainbridge, which is an insurance and annuity company.

As for her deal with Nike, it includes signature shoes within a new 8-figure contract which will place Clark among the select group of WNBA players having their signature shoes. The first 12 players in this category include Sheryl Swoopes (Nike 1995), Rebecca Lobo (Reebok), Lisa Leslie (Nike), Dawn Staley (Nike), Cynthia Cooper (Nike), Nikki McCray (Fila), and Chamique Holdsclaw (Nike).

After her draft, Clark signed a multi-year deal with Wilson Sporting Goods and Co., which is WNBA’s official basketball supplier. Inking the deal with Wilson, Clark became a brand ambassador for the brand and so, she has the opportunity to lead her first-ever signature basketball line among other creative roles. Her basketball line is scheduled to be launched later this year.

Clark is the first female athlete to have her collection with Wilson. Simply put, the brand is to build a whole collection around Clark, similar to what they did with the legendary Michael Jordan in the 1980s. Besides the above-mentioned, Clark’s endorsement deals include other brands like Bose, State Farm, Buick, Hy-Vee, Topps, Shoot-A-Way, and Goldman Sachs.

It seems that the rookie has sorted out her finances. What remains to be seen is whether, with her continuous skillful performances, she will be successful in bagging the ultimate honor for the rookies in the basketball circuit or not.