Caitlin Clark brought a considerable amount of eyes to the WNBA this past season, which proved to be financially lucrative for the Indiana Fever star.
This week, Sportico released its Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2024 list, which measured their total earnings for the 12 months ending Dec. 31. This included both salary or winnings and endorsements. Clark was the lone basketball player to make the list.
Clark’s earnings for 2024, according to Sportico, was $11.1 million. Her WNBA salary, the publication stated, accounted for roughly $100,000 of the $11.1 million. This included, the report stated, a base salary of $76,535 and multiple performance bonus payments, including $10,300 for her All-WNBA first team selection.
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The remaining $11 million of her 2024 earnings came from endorsements. The most most valuable endorsement deal, according to the report, was Nike.
In April, The Wall Street Journal reported Nike’s deal for Clark was worth up to $28 million over eight years. The Swoosh reportedly beat out several other potential bidders, including Puma, Adidas and Under Armour.
The deal, NBA insider Shams Charania reported via Twitter at the time, would also include a signature shoe.
Clark has long been aligned with Nike, first signing a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with the brand in October 2022. The hooper laced up several different models from Nike during her Iowa Hawkeyes playing days, mostly looks from the brand’s beloved Kobe franchise.
Though Nike has not yet released a Clark signature shoe, as a pro, she has continued to play a role in the buzz around the Kobe franchise with eye-catching player editions (PEs) and by wearing fan-favorite colorways. For instance, she debuted her first Nike Kobe PE in late July during an Indiana Fever practice, a Nike Kobe 5 Protro in the black and gold hues of her alma matter.
Aside from footwear, Nike celebrated Clark in October with a T-shirt commemorating her Rookie of the Year Award. The shirt, which is available via Nike.com for $40, features several of her rookie year accolades, including most points in a rookie season (769), most assists in a season (337) and more.
Some of Clark’s other high-profile deals in 2024 included Wilson Sporting Goods Co. (highlighted by multiple signature basketball collection releases), as well as Gatorade, State Farm and more.
In terms of viewership, the WNBA revealed in October that the full season — which included the regular season, playoffs and finals — averaged 1.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched full season on ESPN platforms ever.
What’s more, ESPN hosted the most-watched game of the regular season, a matchup between the Fever and the Chicago Sky in June, which averaged 2.3 million viewers.
About the Author
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
