Caitlin Clark – who helped draw crowds to arenas around the country and drive up viewership numbers in her final year of college and then in her rookie year in the WNBA – has been named Time’s Athlete of the Year. In her debut season with the Indiana Fever following a stellar career at Iowa, Clark took home the Rookie of the Year award and was named to the All-WNBA first team – the first rookie to do so since 2008 – during the 2024 season. The Fever superstar also set rookie season records for both points and three-pointers made and became the first rookie to get a triple-double. As well as scoring, Clark also set the all-time WNBA league record for assists in a single season and the most dimes in a single game. In her final season in an Iowa Hawkeyes uniform, Clark set the NCAA Division I women’s basketball scoring record and then broke Hall of Famer Pete Maravich’s record across all of Division I.
Last week, Clark debuted in Sportico’s highest-paid female athletes list, with her earnings totaling $11.1 million. Just a fraction of Clark’s earnings comes from her WNBA salary, which was $100,000. The rest is from endorsements.
