Caitlin Clark has been a huge part of the Indiana Fever‘s massive jump in value.
ESPN, citing a new report from Sportico, says that the team, which was valued at just $90 million before the 2024 WNBA draft, is now at a whopping $560 million valuation. That makes it the third most valuable team in the league, only bested by the New York Liberty at $600 million for the number two spot, and the Golden State Valkyries at the top of the list at a valuation of $850 million.
With Clark presumably being a big part of what’s increased the Indiana Fever’s importance, thanks to her pre-draft hype and top-of-the-line play since then, it’s no wonder her salary has jumped from $85,000 to $528,000 under the new WNBA labor deal.
Last month, the WNBA and the players’ union finalized a new collective bargaining agreement that came with the league raising player pay dramatically. Just two years after she entered the league and became one of its biggest attractions, Clark’s pay jumped up more than six times what she was making during her rookie contract.
Clark is considered to be the face of the new era of the league, and her appearances drive television ratings up, get more people to attend games, and cause more merch to be sold. Her games also routinely rank as some of the most-watched in WNBA history.
In other Clark news, the Fever guard gave fans a brief scare after she had a hard collision in an April preseason matchup against the Dallas Wings.
The moment happened in the third quarter when Dallas forward Alanna Smith collided with Clark’s leg during a shot attempt. After shooting two free throws, Clark headed to the bench and remained there for the rest of the match. After the game, Clark told reporters that she was fine.
“I feel good,” she said. “I just landed on my kneecap really hard.”
