Caitlin Clark Net Worth 2026: Nike Millions, New CBA Salary and Record Earnings

Caitlin Clark’s net worth is about $20 million, according to a widely reported estimate repeated by Sports Illustrated in July 2026. Forbes and Bloomberg do not publish a net worth figure for her, so that number is a rough guide. What is well documented is her income: Forbes says she earned $12.1 million in 2025, and Sportico put the same year at $16.1 million.

Caitlin Clark: quick facts

Net worth

$20 Million

Salary / earnings

$530 Thousand per year

Source of wealth

Endorsements, WNBA salary

Profession

Basketball Player

Nationality

American

Place of birth

Des Moines, Iowa, United States

Date of birth

January 22, 2002 (age 24)

Almost all of that money comes from sponsors, not basketball. In 2025 her WNBA pay was only about $100,000. Her endorsement income came from a portfolio led by a Nike deal reported at $28 million over eight years, plus Gatorade, State Farm, Wilson and others.

Her basketball pay is now rising fast. The WNBA’s new labor deal, agreed in March 2026, raised her 2026 salary from about $86,000 to a reported $530,000. She could be in line for a max salary of more than $1 million from 2027. She is one of the best-paid players in the athlete net worth rankings for women’s basketball.

Caitlin Clark at a glance

• Net worth: about $20 million (widely reported estimate, 2026)
• Born: January 22, 2002, in Des Moines, Iowa
• Profession: professional basketball player (point guard)
• Team: Indiana Fever (WNBA), since 2024
• College: University of Iowa (2020–2024)
• Biggest payday: Nike endorsement deal, reported at $28 million over eight years
• Awards: 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, All-WNBA First Team (2024 and 2026), two-time national college player of the year, NCAA Division I career scoring leader
• Partner: Connor McCaffery (dating since 2023)

Her net worth by year is charted at the end of this article.

Where Caitlin Clark’s money comes from

Source	Details	Estimate
Endorsements	Nike, Gatorade, State Farm, Wilson, Gainbridge, Stanley and others	$12 million to $16 million in 2025 (Forbes, Sportico)
Nike signature line	Logo apparel since 2025; Nike Caitlin 1 shoe since October 2026	Part of a deal reported at $28 million over 8 years
WNBA salary	Indiana Fever rookie contract, revised under the 2026 CBA	About $530,000 in 2026
WNBA bonuses	Awards and team prize money	Tens of thousands of dollars a year
College NIL (2020–2024)	Hy-Vee, Nike, State Farm, Gatorade and more while at Iowa	About $3 million (On3 valuation, 2024)

Earnings by year

Forbes and Sportico each publish yearly lists of the highest-paid female athletes. Both count pre-tax earnings, not net worth, and both are estimates. Their numbers for Clark differ by up to $4 million.

Year	Forbes total	Sportico total	WNBA pay	Notes
2024	$8.1 million (No. 13)	$11.1 million	About $100,000	Rookie season; Forbes counted $8 million off the court
2025	$12.1 million (No. 11)	$16.1 million (No. 6)	About $100,000 to $114,000	Played only 13 games because of injuries
2026	Not yet published	Not yet published	About $530,000	First year under the new CBA; Nike shoe launched

Forbes ranked her ahead of every other WNBA player in 2025. Sportico, in January 2026, said she still missed its top-100 list of all athletes, which had a cutoff of $37.9 million. Forbes’ 2026 list of the highest-paid female athletes is expected in December 2026.

WNBA contract by year

Clark signed a standard four-year rookie-scale contract as the No. 1 pick in 2024. It was worth about $338,000 in total under the old labor deal. The 2026 collective bargaining agreement then rewrote her pay.

Season	Original rookie scale	Actual or projected pay
2024	$76,535	$76,535
2025	$78,066	$78,066
2026	$85,873	About $530,000 (new CBA)
2027	$97,582 (team option)	Projected about $1.3 million if moved to a max deal

The Fever exercised the fourth-year team option on April 28, 2026. Under the new deal’s “EPIC” rule, which rewards stars still on rookie contracts, Yahoo Sports reported in March 2026 that she could reach about $1.3 million in 2027 and a supermax of about $1.7 million in 2028. Those later figures are projections, not signed contracts.

Early life

Caitlin Elizabeth Clark was born on January 22, 2002, in Des Moines, Iowa. Her father, Brent, is a sales executive who played college basketball and baseball at Simpson College. Her mother, Anne Nizzi-Clark, is a former marketing executive.

She grew up in West Des Moines with an older brother, Blake, who played college football, and a younger brother, Colin. As a young child she often played on boys’ teams.

At Dowling Catholic High School she became a McDonald’s All-American. She also won gold medals with USA Basketball youth teams in 2017, 2019 and 2021, when she was MVP of the FIBA U19 World Cup.

Iowa career and NIL earnings

Clark chose her home-state school, the University of Iowa, and became the most famous player in college basketball. She led Iowa to back-to-back NCAA title games in 2023 and 2024, losing to LSU and South Carolina.

In March 2024 she passed Pete Maravich to become the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, men or women, with 3,951 career points. She won the Naismith, Wooden and AP Player of the Year awards in both 2023 and 2024. Iowa later retired her No. 22.

The NCAA’s name, image and likeness (NIL) rules took effect in 2021, during her college career. That let her sign deals while still in school:

• Hy-Vee (January 2022), including a branded cereal, “Caitlin’s Crunch Time”
• Nike (October 2022), her first deal with the brand
• State Farm (2023), with national TV ads
• Gatorade (December 2023), a multi-year deal
• Gainbridge (January 2024), a multi-year deal with the Fever’s arena sponsor
• Bose, Buick, H&R Block, Topps, Shoot-A-Way and Goldman Sachs

The NIL tracker On3 valued her at about $3.1 million in April 2024, the fourth-highest of any college athlete. Only a few stars, including gymnast Olivia Dunne, ranked near her.

Rookie season with the Indiana Fever (2024)

The Indiana Fever took Clark with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. Her arrival changed the league’s economics. Fever games sold out on the road, and TV ratings and ticket prices rose across the WNBA.

She averaged 19.2 points and a league-leading 8.4 assists and set the WNBA single-season assists record. She was named Rookie of the Year with 66 of 67 votes and made the All-WNBA First Team. Indiana reached the playoffs for the first time since 2016 but lost to Connecticut in the first round.

She was not picked for the 2024 U.S. Olympic team. At year’s end Time named her Athlete of the Year, and the AP named her Female Athlete of the Year.

Her rookie rivalry with Chicago’s Angel Reese, which began in the 2023 NCAA final, drew big audiences. It also lifted both players’ endorsement income.

Injury-hit 2025 season

Clark’s second season was a setback. A left quad strain in May, then groin injuries and an ankle bone bruise, limited her to 13 games. On September 4, 2025, the Fever ruled her out for the rest of the season.

In those games she averaged 16.5 points and 8.8 assists and was still voted an All-Star. The Fever reached the semifinals without her.

Her bank account barely suffered. Her WNBA pay was tiny either way, and her sponsors stayed with her. Sportico said her total earnings rose by about $5 million to $16.1 million, even with so few games.

The 2026 CBA and a record season

The 2025 season was also overshadowed by tense labor talks. Players wanted a bigger share of league revenue after new media deals, and the old contract was extended several times. The WNBA and the players’ union reached a verbal deal on March 18, 2026.

The seven-year agreement runs through 2032. Key terms reported by SportsPro and Yahoo Sports include:

• A salary cap of $7 million per team in 2026, up from about $1.5 million
• A max salary of about $1.4 million in 2026, rising past $2.4 million by 2032
• A minimum salary of $270,000 to $300,000
• The first revenue-sharing model in women’s pro sports
• An “EPIC” rule that lets top young players reach max deals sooner

On the court, 2026 was her best season yet. She played 40 games and averaged 22.3 points and 8.3 assists, the first WNBA player to average 20 and 8. She scored a franchise-record 45 points against Seattle on July 17.

She finished fourth in MVP voting and made the All-WNBA First Team again in October 2026. The Fever went to the playoffs for a third straight year but lost to the Las Vegas Aces in the first round. She also won gold with Team USA at the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup.

Endorsements

Endorsements are the core of Clark’s fortune. Forbes counted $12 million in off-court income in 2025, and Sportico counted $16 million. She sold more Fanatics jerseys that year than any pro basketball player except Stephen Curry.

Nike

Clark first signed with Nike in 2022 as a college player. In April 2024, before her pro debut, she signed a new deal reported at $28 million over eight years, the largest ever for a women’s basketball player. The terms were reported, not officially confirmed.

Nike revealed her interlocking “CC” logo in August 2025 and launched logo apparel that September. Her first signature shoe, the Nike Caitlin 1, went on sale on October 1, 2026, for $140. Its first colorways sold out within minutes, and more are due later in 2026.

Other brand deals

• Gatorade: multi-year deal since 2023, with ads and donations to her foundation
• State Farm: national TV ads since her Iowa days
• Wilson Sporting Goods: multi-year deal signed in May 2024, including her own signature basketball line
• Gainbridge: multi-year deal with the naming-rights sponsor of the Fever’s arena
• Stanley 1913: partnership since August 2025, renewed with a new drinkware collection in September 2026
• Hy-Vee: her longest-running regional partner, dating back to 2022

Terms of most of these deals have never been made public.

Offers she turned down

Clark has said no to some big paydays to protect her body. The 3-on-3 league BIG3, founded by Ice Cube, offered her $5 million in 2024. A league representative later claimed a final offer of $15 million, a figure that has not been confirmed.

The new women’s 3-on-3 league Unrivaled offered her more than $1 million for its first winter season, Front Office Sports reported in November 2024. She declined, saying she needed rest. Rivals such as Paige Bueckers took equity stakes in that league instead, but Clark has not joined it.

Real estate

Clark has kept her real estate private. There are no confirmed public records or major news reports of a home purchase with a reported price.

She lives in the Indianapolis area during the WNBA season and spends time with family in the Des Moines area.

Personal life

Clark has dated Connor McCaffery since 2023. He played basketball and baseball at Iowa, is the son of former Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery, and later joined the Indiana Pacers’ staff. Viral reports of an engagement have been false.

She graduated from Iowa with a marketing degree in 2024. She is a keen golfer and has played in pro-am events. In November 2024 she attended Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour show in Indianapolis, a meeting that drew wide coverage.

Philanthropy

Clark started the Caitlin Clark Foundation in October 2023. Based in West Des Moines, it supports young people through education, nutrition and sport. Many of its gifts use the number 22, her jersey number.

• $22,000 plus equipment and clothing to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa (2023)
• Four $22,000 grants to Iowa City charities, plus a pledge of 22,000 books (January 2025)
• $300,802 presented to Feeding America with Hy-Vee (May 2025)
• Sponsor gifts from Gatorade, State Farm, Hy-Vee and Gainbridge

How Caitlin Clark compares

Net worth estimates for young WNBA stars are rough, so this table uses Forbes’ yearly earnings, which are better documented.

Player	2025 earnings (Forbes)	Main source
Caitlin Clark	$12.1 million	Nike, Gatorade, State Farm, Wilson
Sabrina Ionescu	$10.5 million	Nike signature shoe, other sponsors
Angel Reese	$9.4 million	Reebok signature shoe, media
Paige Bueckers	$9.1 million	Nike, Coach, DoorDash, Intuit

Figures are from Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid female athletes, published December 2025. Clark was the top WNBA earner, but tennis players held most of the top spots. Her earnings are still far below the men on the list of the richest athletes in the world.

Frequently asked questions

How much is Caitlin Clark worth?

About $20 million, based on a widely reported 2026 estimate. Forbes and Bloomberg do not publish a net worth figure for her.

How much does Caitlin Clark make a year?

Forbes estimated $12.1 million and Sportico $16.1 million for 2025, almost all from endorsements.

What is Caitlin Clark’s WNBA salary?

About $530,000 in 2026 under the new CBA, up from $78,066 in 2025. She could earn about $1.3 million in 2027.

How much is Caitlin Clark’s Nike deal worth?

It was reported in April 2024 at $28 million over eight years, including a signature shoe. Her Nike Caitlin 1 launched in October 2026.

Did Caitlin Clark play in Unrivaled?

No. She turned down a reported offer of more than $1 million to play in the league’s first season.

Who earns more, Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese?

Caitlin Clark. Forbes put her 2025 earnings at $12.1 million, compared with $9.4 million for Angel Reese.

Sources: Forbes (highest-paid female athletes 2024 and 2025), Sportico (highest-paid female athletes 2024 and 2025; top 100 athletes, January 2026), Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, SportsPro, ESPN, Front Office Sports, Spotrac, On3, Fortune, Wikipedia. All net worth and earnings figures are estimates.