$338,056. That is the 4-year salary promised by the Indiana Fever to this year’s No.1 overall draft pick Caitlin Clark. Well, if you compare it to the $55 million contract provided to last year’s top N.B.A. draft pick Victor Wembanyama, the amount appears to be a fraction. Still, the rookie had the benefit of some massive NIL options before entering the professional realm. Something that eluded the likes of the Greatest Dynasty’s Sabrina Ionescu.

The Olympic-bound 3-point specialist recently interacted with Lisa Robinson during an interview for the Vanity Fair magazine. From Kobe Bryant’s life lessons to making her Olympic debut, the 26-year-old opened up about a range of topics. One of them was obviously directed towards the financial scheme of things.

Apparently, Robinson wanted to bring to light the hypothetical scenario of Sabrina Ionescu making the most of her NIL opportunities. To which she responded, “I would have made a lot of money. I missed it by one year. Now I need my endorsements. But when I was in college, I was just focused on winning. We were all poor; it was part of the college experience”. 

The highest-paid athlete in the WNBA at the moment is the Aces No.0 Jackie Young. Currently, she is drawing a salary of $252,000. Compared to that, someone like Caitlin Clark at the time of her graduation had an NIL valuation of $3.1 million.

Adding some more inputs, Ionescu expressed, “I graduated in three years, then got my masters in brand responsibility. I’m not sure I would have been able to do that if I’d had to juggle the NIL too—all that marketing, it’s a job”. 

As it turns out, Sabrina Ionescu is not the only one commenting on the financial chain of thought.

Kelsey Plum joins Sabrina Ionescu in the salary debate

The massive pay disparity is not a new topic for anyone who follows basketball. Over the years, it has included the perspectives of eminent names of the sport. Recently Kelsey Plum joined the list. In an interview with ESPN, she opines that the desire for her to get paid as much as LeBron James is a “huge misconception”. Although, there is one specific demand that Plum needs everyone to address. She said, “They sell my jersey in Mandalay Bay, I don’t get a dime”.

Anyhow, she didn’t shy away from pointing out some major steps that the league can take for the betterment of its athletes. She said, “Long term it’s pensions and benefits that can be really influential in people’s lives”. 

The different narratives in this direction will continue to come to the surface. Whether it’s Kelsey Plum or Sabrina Ionescu, one thing that will be agreed upon is that there should be equal treatment in all aspects for the players. It will be worth a watch as to what future steps are planned for it.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And, join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show”. Our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.