Kate Linklark's value against the WNBA is more than the league can afford to pay her, the female hoops superstar agent said in a recent interview.
Talk to ESPNClark's agent Erin Kane sought a higher salary for WNBA players, suggesting that the league is ready to “spin-off” from the NBA when it comes to media rights.
Kane, an agent at Excel Sports Management, also addressed Clark's value to the WNBA.
“Is Caitlin Clark going to pay from the WNBA that she really has value in that league? I don't think that's possible,” Kane told ESPN.
And Kane is filing a lawsuit backed up by one economics expert at Indiana University Columbus who spoke to the Indiana Star in December.
Dr. Ryan Brewer calculated that Clark was 26.5% of the league's economic activity during the 2024 WNBA season.
Brewer calculated that Clark had a $36 million economic impact on the city of Indianapolis.
“Now, let's take a quick breath and think about this,” Brewer told Indystar in December. “It's a year. We're talking about one player.”
Everyone around Clark feels the positive economic impact of her presence in the league, but she is expected to rave about a little over $78,000 from her on-court work in 2025 .
Kane argued that the WNBA players as a whole should earn more, and she said, “There is a lot of hope in negotiating this CBA, and it is progressive and it is very much a step forward in the line. I hope,” he added.
The WNBA and WNBA Players Associations will need to formulate a new collective bargaining agreement after the player union opted out of the current union last October.
Part of the purpose is to see players' pay increases in the next CBA. Currently, salaries range from $64,154 to $241,984.
Wnbapa Executive Director Terri Jackson says the league is undervalued despite a new media rights deal worth between $2.2 billion and $2.2 billion a year, and Kane agrees I felt it looked like that.
“I think we're ready for a spinoff [from the NBA]Kane said. “I think the NBA is incentivized to make good decisions for the NBA. These aren't always in line with what's good for the WNBA, and for the league I work for, I'm I want women and women's basketball to make clean and clear choices of their own greatest interest.”
WNBA values and player salaries are topics of conversation about basketball circles and are the source of criticism from female hoopers.
In October, WNBA star Angel Reese said on a live Instagram live that “The WNBA doesn't pay my bills at all.” I don't even think it will pay one of my bills. literally. “
