Caitlin Clark is captivating the basketball world as March Madness approaches.
Her lethal 3-point range, elite playmaking and rebounding make her a 30-point triple-double threat every night. She’s must-watch basketball.
And Clark is taking advantage of that popularity under the new NIL rules that the NCAA established in 2021.
The Iowa Hawkeyes superstar has made a lucrative career despite not being paid by Iowa for playing collegiate basketball. Clark has garnered numerous endorsement deals over the past three seasons, with the most recent being her partnerships with Gatorade and State Farm.
Her fame won’t drop off anytime soon either, as she broke the overall all-time points record held by Pete Maravich. Maravich scored 3,667 points in three years at LSU and has held the record since 1970.
Fans around the world witnessed Clark break the 54-year record Sunday in the Hawkeyes’ regular-season finale against Ohio State.
MORE: Caitlin Clark enters 2024 WNBA Draft as projected No. 1 pick
How much does Caitlin Clark make through NIL deals?
Clark’s endorsements have racked up quite a bit of money over the past few years. She’s partnered with 11 companies including Gatorade, Nike and State Farm.
The Iowa senior had an estimated NIL valuation of $910,000 before breaking Maravich’s all-time record. It skyrocketed to $3.1 million after making more collegiate history, according to ON3. She now ranks fourth among all NIL-eligible athletes and first in women’s college basketball, surpassing LSU’s Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson for the top spot.
Clark previously surpassed Kelsey Plum as the all-time women’s scoring record holder during a Feb. 15 game against Michigan.
How much will Clark make in the WNBA?
Clark is entering the 2024 WNBA Draft, she announced Thursday. She is forgoing her fifth year of eligibility, which she received due to the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season.
To be clear: Her NIL money won’t disappear as she makes the leap to the professional level. Her current partnerships will just become endorsements.
And it’s very possible that both the number of partnerships and the amount of money she receives will continue to increase as more companies try to cash in on her stardom at the professional level.
What the WNBA offers that Iowa cannot is a salary. Clark is expected to be selected at the top of the WNBA Draft in April, which means she should be able to max out her rookie salary in the league.
The top four draft picks in the 2024 WNBA Draft are eligible to sign up to a four-year, $338,056 contract. Those deals include fourth-year team options, so that figure could wind up being lower if a team decides to cut bait on a highly-drafted player after just three seasons, according to Spotrac.
Clark would enter the 2024 WNBA Draft as the top-ranked prospect, per ESPN’s latest mock draft. So she would make $76,535 in her first season if selected No. 1 by the Indiana Fever.
If Clark opts to remain at Iowa for another year, she’ll miss out on that WNBA salary in 2024. When she enters the 2025 WNBA Draft, however, she would see a slight increase in her professional contract.
WNBA rookie deals increase by 2% each season, meaning Clark could earn a four-year, $348,198 contract with a team option on the fourth year if selected with a top four pick in 2025, according to Spotrac.
Caitlin Clark net worth 2024
Clark’s net worth is estimated to be near $3 million, though it’s tough to gauge an exact figure with her popularity skyrocketing.
As noted, On3 estimates Clark’s NIL valuation at $910,000.
