Angel Reese GOES NUTS After Patrick Bet David DESTROYS Her DELUSION!

Angel Reese vindicated as Caitlin Clark’s 2024 total earnings sum up WNBA issue

The Indiana Fever star has certainly made her money’s worth over the past 12 months but just a tiny fraction of that has actually come from playing in the WNBA, despite the league’s increase in revenue.

Caitlin Clark has reaped the rewards of her rise to stardom after raking in more than $11 million in 2024 (Image: Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark’s total earnings for 2024 sum up exactly why Angel Reese threatened to boycott the WNBA after figures showed just one per cent of the total amount was earned on the court.

The Indiana Fever star has enjoyed a remarkable start to life in the WNBA after being selected first overall in last year’s draft, winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year award and setting a number of records throughout her debut season. With that came a surge in popularity, resulting in huge brand deals, public appearances and more.

Because she is considered a generational talent, Clark has been able to take full advantage of all kinds of numbers thrown her way, resulting in her generating a record annual payday for a WNBA player of $11.1 million throughout the 2024 season. Perhaps alarmingly, however, just one per cent of that figure was made up of her WNBA earnings.

Thanks to her stunning on-court displays, Clark has helped popularize women’s basketball, even since her college days. The trend has become known as the “Caitlin Clark effect”, and has seen a rise in attendances and television viewership for the sport, making the WNBA one of the most watched leagues in the United States.

Yet despite this, the majority of players have failed to see the WNBA’s growing popularity reflected in their wages, leading them to seek a larger share of league revenue and push to remove the hard salary cap. Clark’s WNBA salary and bonus is roughly $100,000, which, according to Sportico, makes up for just one percent of her total annual earnings.

Last season, the WNBA reportedly generated $200 million in revenue, with superstars such as Clark and Reese leading to more exposure than ever before. Of that number, however, just 9.3 per cent went towards player salaries, prompting Reese to threaten to go on strike if players’ demands weren’t met.

Angel Reese has already threatened to go on strike from the WNBA if players’ wages aren’t improved (Image: Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The Chicago Sky power forward received some backlash for her bold statement, yet seeing just how little impact Clark’s WNBA salary has on her annual earnings has only vindicated her claim, having shed further light on the current issue in the world’s premier professional women’s basketball league.

When Clark was drafted as the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, she was handed a base salary of $76,535 as part of a four-year, $338,056 deal. As for Reese, she is set to earn $74,909 next season after entering the league on a four-year, $324,383 contract.

In comparison, when Zaccharie Risacher was selected first by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2024 NBA Draft, he was signed to a four-year, $57m contract, including $12.6 million for the 2024-25 season. Understandably so, the disparity between the men’s and women’s game has set off a firestorm in recent times.

This was particularly apparent when it was announced that the WNBA had landed a $2.2 billion media rights deal last summer, allowing Disney, NBC, and Amazon to broadcast games for the next 11 years. Despite the increased exposure for the league and its players, those performing on the court feel they are yet to benefit from it.