Caitlin Clark officially declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft (
Image: Getty)
The WNBA’s rookie salaries have been revealed with Caitlin Clark officially declaring for the picking process with the Indiana Fever set to get their hands on the college basketball phenom
College basketball phenom Caitlin Clark has officially declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft, effectively rubber-stamping a move to the Indiana Fever, who hold the first-overall pick.
The 22-year-old’s highly anticipated decision arrived shortly after she broke the women’s NCAA all-time point-scoring record held by Kelsey Plum and the unofficial Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) mark set by Lynette Woodard. Clark also trailing Pete Maravich’s NCAA record from men’s basketball by 17 points having scored 3,650 points so far.
Despite turning professional, Clark could theoretically end up earning less money up front than she has during her college basketball days. The NCAA began allowing college athletes to earn money off their name, image and likeness in 2021, opening the door for Clark to claim at least $910,000 from NIL deals this season, according to On3’s NIL algorithm.
Her yearly salary in the WNBA is expected to be considerably lower than that, but Clark could be propped up by continued agreements with brands such as insurance giant State Farm, with which she’s appeared in a series of national ads. Mirror Sports US takes a look at the numbers behind Clark’s decision…
How much will Caitlin Clark make in the WNBA?
As a locked-in top-four pick, Clark will make $76,535 in salary as a rookie, according to the WNBA’s 2024-25 rookie pay scale, via Spotrac. Clark will then see pay raises in her second, third and fourth seasons. Clark’s pay will jump up to $78,066, followed by $85,873 in year three and then $97,952 in year four.
Clark will also likely find herself on the roster of Indiana, which currently has the highest-paid player in the league, Erica Wheeler. The guard, 32, earns a reported $242,000 annually.
READ MORE: Ohio State’s ’cause chaos’ agenda beats out Iowa’s Caitlin Clark show for Big Ten prize
Clark will likely head to Indiana with the first overall WNBA Draft pick (
Image:
Getty)
However, base salary does not factor in Clark’s off-court endorsement deals. While it’s impossible to put a figure on these, Clark has several national endorsement deals with huge companies such as Nike, Bose, State Farm, Gatorade, Topps and more.
Many of those endorsements are likely to carry over to the WNBA. However, leaving Iowa may mean losing some of her more localized marketing partners. It’s hard to fully assess the impact of leaving the college scene, but it’s safe to say that with the nationwide profile Clark has built, she’ll still be in for some lucrative deals to add to the money she’ll earn from her WNBA contract.
Plenty still to play for
Clark’s official Hawkeyes farewell tour has begun and there are still games to play. They face No. 2 Ohio State on March 3 to close the regular season before moving on to the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament.
