Caitlin Clark Facebook via Iowa Women’s Basketball
By Qwame Skinner on

The WNBA is exploding as one of the most popular and financially intriguing leagues in the United States. The league has exploded in recent seasons, thanks in large part to the presence of national phenomenon Caitlin Clark.

Since being selected by the Indiana Fever with the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, Clark has helped elevate the league to record numbers in attendance and television viewership, which is leading to expansion teams joining the WNBA at an exponential clip.

Even Clark’s peers are well aware of the enormous impact she’s had on the league.

“The amount of money that Caitlin Clark has made the league is insane, and she’s getting 0% of it because we have no revenue share. She gets less than $80,000 a year, and she’s bringing in, like, hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s insane,” Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier told Glamour magazine.

Unfortunately, Clark’s second year as a professional was defined by injuries, including a brutal groin injury that kept her sidelined for all of the second half of the season, and kept her off of the Fever’s playoff roster.

Luckily, all signs are pointing toward the sharpshooter being a full go for 2026 following a full offseason of recovery. However, Clark appears to have missed out on a major milestone this offseason, with other players in the WNBA being selected over her.

“Napheesa Collier, Paige Bueckers and Aliyah Boston are the three WNBA Athletes to make the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Sports Forbes 30 Under 30 is an annual list published by Forbes that highlights 30 outstanding individuals under the age of 30 who are making significant impact in various fields,” reported Athlete Vanity on Wednesday.

While Clark made the list last season, and typically people aren’t named to the list more than once, it’s interesting that she wasn’t highlighted at all, considering she’s one of the 15 highest-paid female athletes in the world, per a Sportico chart, and is only 23 years old. Clark didn’t even make the WNBA’s cut of which players to highlight that have made the list, and interestingly, neither did Collier.

Knowing the sort of competitor that Clark is, she’s probably more than okay letting her game do all of the talking for her next season.

About Qwame Skinner

Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.

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