Sports leagues love to brag about skyrocketing revenues and record-breaking deals. They’ll parade around massive TV contracts and packed arenas, claiming the game is thriving. But sometimes, the numbers tell a very different story—especially when it comes to women’s professional basketball.
Caitlin Clark just made headlines for an eye-popping payday, and the details reveal just how skewed the WNBA’s system really is. According to a report from Sportico, Clark earned approximately $16.1 million in 2025.¹ That staggering total places her among the six highest-paid female athletes on the planet.
Here’s the jaw-dropping part: only $114,000 of that money came from actually playing in the WNBA. Clark’s 2025 base salary was a mere $78,066, with an additional $36,000 from performance bonuses.² That means more than 99% of her income came from endorsement deals with companies like Nike, Gatorade, and State Farm—organizations that clearly understand her true market value.
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