Caitlin Clark will make US$76,535 from her WNBA salary this year. The top NBA draft pick will earn US$10.5 million

New York - Caitlin Clark, who became the leading scorer in NCAA basketball history and the first pick in the WNBA draft this week, will make a US$76,535 salary this year.

Clark helped attract record-breaking TV audiences and sellout crowds in arenas around the country in her final collegiate season.

They acknowledge the reality of being in a league with a smaller pool of revenue to go around, and one that is a lot younger — without 50 preceding years of contract negotiations and the subsequent hard-won worker protections and salaries that come with that longevity.

A WNBA spokesperson said that Clark stood to make more than US$500,000 in total compensation, including cash from player marketing agreements with the league and team deals.

The WNBA launched in 1997, spearheaded by longtime former NBA commissioner David Stern, who believed creating a women’s league would grow the game overall.

It’s negotiating new media rights that are expected to bring in millions of dollars of additional revenue and increased visibility for star players and teams.