Caitlin Clark has rocketed to sixth on Sportico’s 2025 list of highest-paid female athletes with $16 million in earnings. That marks a big jump from $11 million in the prior year.

She is the only WNBA player in the top 15. And this news absolutely should be setting off alarm bells for the league. In short, Clark doesn’t need the WNBA. At all.

Despite her modest $78,066 rookie salary through 2027, Clark’s income has exploded from endorsements, sponsorships, and partnerships that capitalize on her appeal to basketball fans.

Her Indiana Fever games are practically an afterthought. Especially when you consider the crossover star missed the vast majority of games in her sophomore season.

She was hardly on the court due to injury, and her value only skyrocketed.

Caitlin Clark IS the WNBA

It seems pretty clear that the league needs Caitlin Clark – specifically, the ticket sales and ratings – a lot more than she needs the WNBA.

“Clark missed 70% of the Indiana Fever’s games during the WNBA season as she struggled with injuries,” Sportico writes. “But it was another record year off the court for the star guard, who ranked sixth at $16.1 million, up four spots from 2024. She earned $119,000 in W playing salary and bonuses.”

That means her WNBA salary represents less than 1% of her earnings this past year.

New York Liberty point guard Sabrina Ionescu, according to the report, fell just outside the top-15 list, which ends with LPGA golfer Jeeno Thitikul at $7.6 million.

Ionescu, then, does not come within half of Clark’s earnings.

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She holds the cards

The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement recently expired without renewal. Talks have been extended to January 6 amid heated debates over revenue sharing and star compensation.

The league’s offer of up to $1.1 million for top talents like Clark relies heavily on incentives rather than base pay. It remains a bit of a shell game without clearer revenue transparency.

Without a deal, elite players could bolt overseas for better salaries, amplifying the stakes in negotiations. As the league’s premier revenue driver—boosting sellouts, ratings, and brand value—Caitlin Clark wields immense leverage to modernize WNBA finances and secure equitable pay structures.

She holds the cards right now. But the league is in a serious pickle. Even with the Fever star’s unprecedented popularity, they continue to hemorrhage money. They are entirely subsidized by the NBA and still lost $40 million in the 2024 season. Imagine what it would have been without her.

Tennis star Coco Gauff leads the list of highest-paid female athletes for 2025, earning $23 million.