Caitlin Clark had already become a household name even before stepping onto the court for her first WNBA game. Since joining the league, she has lived up to the hype, driving WNBA TV ratings up by 155% year-over-year, all while earning a salary of just $76,000 per year. Despite her remarkable influence, Clark’s pay starkly contrasts with that of her NBA counterparts, fueling an ongoing debate about the NBA-WNBA pay gap.
In the NBA, rookie salaries start at a minimum of $1,157,153, and players with at least one year of experience see their pay jump to $1.862 million. Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark earns $76,535 for her rookie year and will see a modest bump to $78,066 in her second year. While Clark is earning a significant amount off the court through endorsements and sponsorships, the WNBA itself is not providing her with the financial rewards her performance seemingly merits.
Recently, President-elect Donald Trump was asked about Caitlin Clark, the WNBA-NBA pay gap, and if anything could be done about it during an appearance on the “Let’s Go!” podcast. This podcast, which was once hosted by Tom Brady, is now co-hosted by Maxx Crosby, Peter King, Jim Gray, and Bill Belichick. The episode aired on election eve, and Trump shared his views on the controversial topic.
Jim Gray initiated the conversation: “We’re here on ‘Let’s Go.’ President Trump, we hear so much about fair pay and athlete contracts. Should there be more support or supportive measures to ensure equitable pay across sports? I mean, you look at Caitlin Clark. She is driving basketball. She has higher ratings for her women’s basketball in college and the WNBA than any NBA game in the past two years. She makes $76,000 a year, a year, and LeBron James and these folks, Steph Curry, making over $50 million a year. Should something be done about this?”
Trump responded thoughtfully: “Well, you’d like to do that, but it’s a very complicated thing. You know, it’s very unusual—she’s incredible, by the way. I watch, too. I think she’s incredible. The shot, you know, I watched the shot go in. It’s like, couldn’t she shoot that way in the NBA? If you want another, just give her the ball.”
Trump continued, “She is unbelievable. And it’s a phenomenon. It’s something that is taking place, and it’s unusual. You know, it’s like when Tiger first went out, remember those days when Tiger went out? He was—or just a great baseball player in the minor leagues or a first-year football player. You see a running back who’s making the minimum, and he turns out to be a superstar. You have that. And, you know, probably there’s no real way to guard against it. It sounds unfair, but somebody agrees to a contract. Hopefully, she’ll keep it going and probably will. She’s going to make a lot of money.”
Trump emphasized that ultimately, “You got to rely on the market.”
Jim Gray pressed further: “But there shouldn’t be any—in other words, there’s really nothing you can do. It’s just what the market will bear.”
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Trump replied, “Well, yeah, it’s really—you got to rely on the market. You know, you can’t go in and just say, ‘Well, we’re going to break this contract because this person did well.’ The league could probably go up and give her a bonus. You know, it wouldn’t kill the league if the league is doing OK. But they could—I mean, the league could really do something with it because it’s—it seems unfair, but you have a lot of that.”
Trump elaborated further, pointing to similar situations in other sports. “I see it all the time with football and baseball and even basketball, where somebody comes in and he turns out to be 10 times better. The quarterback for San Francisco, wasn’t he the last draft choice? And I watched as two quarterbacks got hurt for the team—they were having a hard time anyway, but they got hurt. And he comes in as the last draft choice, and he moves the team. You know, he moves it, and other guys that get drafted No. 1 don’t move it at all. It’s an amazing thing. I’ve watched it for so many years. It’s amazing how, with all the brilliant minds involved and all the draft choices, some players end up performing far beyond expectations.”
Trump continued, “When you start getting involved with trying to recreate markets, it gets very, very tricky. I mean, the downside is greater than the upside, Jim.”
Jim Gray brought up the larger context: “The only difference is, Mr. President, there’s a whole class. In other words, the whole women’s sport is relegated to a salary cap that is much, much lower, yet they’re driving an audience that’s much, much bigger.”
Trump acknowledged the disparity but cautioned against oversimplified solutions: “Yeah. Well, maybe they’ll have to change that, but it is based on the one player, it seems to be. It’s sort of incredible. It’s a phenomenal thing she’s got going. But very tricky. When you start trying to change the markets, it can get very, very tricky.”
The disparity in pay between WNBA and NBA players is highlighted not just by individual salaries but by the financial realities of the leagues. While the WNBA has experienced significant growth in viewership—averaging 1.19 million viewers on ESPN and 1.1 million on CBS compared to the NBA’s average of 1.6 million on ABC/ESPN and TNT—the revenue figures are vastly different.
The WNBA generated an estimated $200 million in revenue for the 2023-24 season, while the NBA’s revenue for the same period was a staggering $10.58 billion. Additionally, average attendance for NBA games is nearly double that of WNBA games, with 18,324 attendees compared to 9,195 for WNBA games.
While Caitlin Clark’s rise has undeniably boosted the WNBA’s visibility, the path to closing the pay gap is far more complex. As Trump pointed out, market forces and league structures play a significant role, and while Clark’s talent may demand greater compensation, the broader economic landscape of the WNBA compared to the NBA remains a limiting factor.
For now, it seems that until the WNBA’s revenue grows to support larger salaries, players like Clark will have to rely on endorsement deals and off-court earnings to bridge the gap.
