Caitlin Clark makes how much in the WNBA?
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark makes how much? The answer might surprise you.
Being the first pick in a professional sports league draft is every kid’s dream. The salary for Caitlin Clark, and other WNBA rookies, might not be.
The Indiana Fever drafted Clark number one overall out of Iowa on Monday.
According to the current WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, the number one pick in the 2024 WNBA draft will be paid an annual salary of $76,535.
That is in stark contrast to the minimum salary for the number one draft pick in the NBA draft, which is $10,132,300, according to NBA collective bargaining agreement.
The $76,535 salary for Caitlin Clark pales even further in comparison to the highest paid player in the NBA. Stephen Curry is making $51,915,615 in the 2023-24 season.
Clark’s salary will increase to $78,066 in 2025 and $85,873 in 2026. There is a team option for 2026 that is worth $97,582.
These salary number, and comparisons have sparked debate about men’s and women’s salaries in professional sports.
Even the highest paid player in the WNBA, Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces ($252,450) makes less than 1% of what Stephan Curry makes.
For another comparison, the minimum rookie contract for a player in the NBA is around $1.1 million, with the league-wide average sitting at around $9 million.
The breakdown for salaries for rookies in the WNBA drafted in 2024 looks like this:
2024 Rookie Scale
| PICK | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 (TM OPTION) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picks 1-4 | $76,535 | $78,066 | $85,873 | $97,582 |
| Picks 5-8 | $73,439 | $74,909 | $82,399 | $93,636 |
| Picks 9-12 | $70,344 | $71,753 | $78,929 | $89,692 |
| Second Round | $67,249 | $68,595 | $75,456 | $85,745 |
| Third Round | $64,154 | $65,438 | $68,711 | $78,527 |
| Undrafted | $64,154 | $65,438 |
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