Caitlin Clark's Agent: WNBA Will Never Be Able To Pay Her What She's Really Worth
The WNBA will never be able to pay Caitlin Clark what she's actually worth to the league, according to her agent, Erin Kane.
Since the Indiana Fever drafted Clark No. 1 overall last April, the WNBA has seen record-breaking growth in online searches, viewership, ticket and merchandise sales, and attendance. Now, the team at Excel Sports Management wants to see what the league plans to do about it.
"Will Caitlin Clark ever be paid by the WNBA what she's really worth to that league? I don't think that's possible," said Kane, who also represents WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier and Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale.
"She's part of a larger player body. They all need to be paid more. She should be recognized for what she has done and what she's brought to the league from an economic standpoint. It's as simple as that."
Caitlin Clark brought unprecedented growth to the WNBA in 2024.
(Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Caitlin Clark Is Popular, But The WNBA Still Loses Money
Kane is just the latest in a chorus of women's sports advocates lamenting WNBA salaries, which range from roughly $64,000 to $240,000. Clark is expected to bring in $78,000 in 2025.
This year will be the final season for the WNBA's current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), of which the players opted out in October.
"The most important thing always has been getting WNBA players paid for what they do on the court," Kane said. "I'm very, very hopeful for this CBA negotiation that it will be progressive and move the line forward a lot."
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The problem, of course, is that the WNBA has never turned a profit in its 28 seasons, and it's hard to pay players with money you don't have. The NBA and its team owners largely subsidize the league, which lost a whopping $40 million last season despite record-breaking ticket sales and viewership.
The WNBA has never turned a profit in its 28 seasons.
(Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
But the WNBA recently announced an 11-year media rights deal valued at about $2.2 billion — or $200 million per year — which is significantly higher than the $60 million the league currently gets. The deal was negotiated by the NBA, which owns about 60 percent of the women's league.
Kane's solution? She says that the best way for WNBA players to be properly compensated is for the league to operate independently of the NBA.
"I think we're ready for a spin-off [from the NBA]," Kane told ESPN. "I just think that the NBA is incentivized to make decisions that are good for the NBA, and those are not always aligned with what's good for the WNBA. And so, for the sake of the league that I work in, I want women and women's basketball to be able to make clean, clear choices that are in their own best interest."
Whether a split from the NBA is feasible or not, there's a lot riding on the 2026 CBA.