Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese May See Big Pay Hikes As New WNBA Demands Come Out
WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese might be about to get a big pay raise as the league and the players’ union work on a new contract agreement. The WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) recently agreed to extend their current deal by 40 days, pushing the deadline to January 9, 2026.
Right now, it doesn’t look like a deal will happen soon, and it’s unclear if they’ll reach an agreement before the next season starts. Last Friday, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, one of the league’s top players, urged both sides to find a middle ground. She called this “the biggest moment the WNBA has ever seen” and said the players will “fight for everything we deserve.”
But according to The Athletic, the league and the players’ union are still quite far apart in their talks. Both sides want to tie player pay to league revenue, but they disagree on how to split it. The WNBPA has suggested players get about 30% of all league and team revenue—more than double the current share, which is under 15%.
A Sportico report showed Clark as the sixth highest-paid female athlete worldwide, but only $119,000 of her $16 million income came from her WNBA contract. Angel Reese, who plays for the Chicago Sky, had a base salary of $74,909 in 2025, which is much less than the league’s average of $102,249.
Reese made headlines in October 2024 when she said her WNBA salary didn’t cover her bills, and she had to rely on endorsements just to pay rent. Like Reese, Clark has been open about the importance of settling the contract soon. She said, “Everybody’s very clear about what we want. We’re all in this together. I’m getting ready for the season like everyone else, but it’s important we find a deal that works for all of us. It needs to be fair and good for everyone.”
The Athletic also mentioned that the WNBA is proposing a new system where some of the league’s revenue would be shared—with half of that going to the players. This could boost average salaries from just over $100,000 to more than $500,000. Top players could even make over $1 million a year.