Caitlin Clark may have made college basketball history, but that won’t translate to much in her pocket as she turns pro.
The excitement surrounding the 2024 WNBA draft quickly turned to anger when many fans learned how much the former University of Iowa star, who was the No. 1 overall pick, will actually make playing basketball professionally. Over four years, she will earn $338,056, according to the association’s collective bargaining agreement.
Under the 2024 WBNA rookie scale for the top four draft picks, the 22-year-old—as well as Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso and Rickea Jackson—will earn a base salary of $76,535 for the first year, $78,066 the second year and $85,873 the third, with a fourth-year option of $97,582.
Although Caitlin made history as NCAA Division I basketball’s overall top scorer (for men and women) in March, her new salary with the Indiana Fever is less than one percent of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, Victor Wembanyama. The San Antonio Spurs star signed a $55 million four-year contract, where he earned $12.1 million in his first season, according to the athlete contract tracker Spotrac.
