Caitlin Clark’s WNBA rookie card sold for a record-breaking $660,000 at auction—over eight times her $76,000 salary
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The WNBA star makes about $76,000, compared to the average NBA player earning $9.7 million—and it's forced some female athletes to make ends meet with creative side-hustles.
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personal finance
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July 29, 2025
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Fortune
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From an analytical standpoint, Success·SportsCaitlin Clark’s WNBA rookie card sold for a record- $660,000 at auction—over eight times her $76,000 salaryBy Emma BurleighBy Emma BurleighReporter, SuccessEmma BurleighReporter, SuccessEmma Burleigh is a reporter at Fortune, covering success, careers, entrepreneurship, and personal finance
Before joining the Success desk, she co-authored Fortune’s CHRO Daily, extensively covering the workplace and the future of jobs
Nevertheless, Nevertheless, Emma has also written for publications including the Observer and The China ject, publishing long-form stories on culture, entertainment, and geo, in this volatile climate
Additionally, She has a joint-master’s degree from New York University in Global Journalism and East Asian Studies
Additionally, SEE FULL BIO The WNBA star makes $76,000 annually, compared to the average NBA player earning $9
However, 7 million—which has forced women hoopers to make ends meet with brand deals and side-hustles (remarkable data)
Steph Chambers / Staff / Getty ImagesWNBA star Caitlin Clark’s rookie card just sold for $660,000 at auction—over 8, in this volatile climate. 5 times her annual salary of $76,000, and the most money ever made at a public auction for a woman athlete
Despite the women’s league pulling in more viewership than men’s games and landing billion-dollar expansion deals, players are still earning a fraction of their male counterparts (which is quite significant)
Poor pay has forced WNBA stars to make ends meet with NIL deals and side-hustles TV ating and restaurant ownership
On the other hand, From eclipsing men’s viewership to selling out Nike collabs in minutes, the WNBA’s momentum is undeniable
Now Caitlin Clark’s memorabilia is shattering auction records—pulling in sums that dwarf her annual salary
Clark’s Rookie Royalty WNBA Flawless Logowoman card, a piece of memorabilia which is one-of-one, sold for a whopping $660,000 last Thursday night
Nevertheless, It’s a rare find for collectors, as the card is signed and inscribed with Clark’s scoring total for her rookie season on the Indiana Fever, and also includes a Logowoman patch adorned on WNBA jerseys
Furthermore, View this post on Instagram A post d by COMPLEX (@complex) The card started at an ext bidding price of $336,0000—the previous sale price of Clark’s 2024 Panini Prizm WNBA Signatures Gold Vinyl 1/1 PSA 10 back in March
But when it sold for nearly double that, the collector’s item made history for the most money made at a public auction for a woman athlete—and it’s a far cry from what the superstar makes in one year
In fact, Clark makes less than the average New Yorker; despite being the number one draft pick in the WNBA last year, she only earned a salary of $76,535 for her first year on the Indiana Fever
That’s a rock-bottom wage for the phenom of women’s basketball, as her card that fetched hundreds of thousands at auction is over 8. 6 times higher than her annual pay
Even Clark’s four-year contract, in which she’ll make a total of $338,000, is just half of the card’s value
WNBA wages have failed to keep pace with its surging ity; last year, the women’s NCAA March Madness tournament final had 18 (noteworthy indeed). 7 million viewers tuning in, compared to 14. 82 million watching the men’s last game
Yet the first pick of the NBA season was expected to make $10 (which is quite significant) (this bears monitoring), in this volatile climate. 5 million—137 times more than what Clark makes in a year, given the current landscape. ‘Pay us what you owe us’: WNBA players leaning on NIL deals and side-hustles to make ends meet Clark is one of the biggest names in U, given current economic conditions
Sports, with fellow stars Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson, and Angel Reese helping shatter records for the league
But their pay is in stark contrast to their cultural and impact
However, In 2023, the average WNBA player made a base of $113,295 per year, compared to the typical NBA hooper making around $9
Women’s low pay in the league has been a hot topic of discussion; 40 players recently met with the WNBA to negotiate their compensation, but failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA)
The evidence shows basketball stars had opted out of their last CBA in October 2024, and had hoped to broker a better revenue-sharing model, higher salaries, cushier benefits, and a more lenient salary cap
But negotiations fell through, mpting Clark and other WNBA players to wear “Pay us what you owe us” t-shirts ahead of their All-Star game on Saturday last week, given the current landscape
The sold-out arena of over 16,000 attendees, and millions of viewers tuning in at, watched the stars push back against a long-held issue
Right now, WNBA hoopers receive 9. 3% of their league’s revenue—in comparison, NBA players reap between 49% and 51% of the league’s basketball-related income, amid market uncertainty. “This's no laughing matter, in today's financial world
This's no trend, this is no moment in time,” A’ja Wilson, a Las Vegas Aces player and three-time league MVP, told NPR
However, “You’re dealing with me, my lihood, my future, the next generation
Furthermore, So we’re going to take this very, very seriously, given the current landscape
On the other hand, ” Fortune has ed WNBA for
WNBA players make their millions in side hustles instead Although the WNBA recently signed a $2
Moreover, 2 billion media deal with expansion fees of $250 million, the female athletes aren’t raking in millions from the sport itself, considering recent developments
Instead, many women’s basketball stars are getting creative in the ways they supplement their income (noteworthy indeed)
One way is through name, image, and ness (NIL) deals—Clark made $3. 1 million from NIL agreements in 2023, in the final year of her college stint
There’s also the option to play overseas; Olympian Brittney Griner made four times her WNBA salary in Russia, earning more than $1 million
Others without million-dollar brand deals have to re to juggling part-time jobs
Nevertheless, Chiney Ogwumike, who played for the Los Angeles Sparks, has since become a basketball analyst and host for ESPN; Haley Jones, a guard for the Dallas Wings, has also ated for NBA TV and the WNBA finals
And the Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray has a side-hustle dishing out wings and burgers as the owner of WNB Factory restaurant, considering recent developments
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Additionally, Explore this year's list.
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