The WNBA’s recent surge in popularity has been fueled in large part by the arrival of high-profile college stars, most notably Caitlin Clark, whose presence has drawn unprecedented attention to the league. A Nike athlete since 2022, Clark rose to national prominence through her elite shooting, vision, and playmaking ability. Yet that growing visibility has not translated into comparable growth in player salaries.
The disconnect has become a central point of contention in ongoing negotiations between the WNBA and the WNBA Players Association ahead of the 2026 season. A recent Forbes report further underscored the disparity by contrasting Clark’s earnings with those of 18-year-old pickleball phenom Anna Leigh Waters. According to Kelly Wolf, Waters, Nike’s first pickleball athlete, is expected to earn more than $3 million annually, having already reached that figure in 2024.
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“She will earn more than $3 million this year. She has become the face of pickleball, and both the PPA Tour [Professional Pickleball Association] and MLP [Major League Pickleball] know that,” Wolf confirmed to Forbes. The 18-year-old’s suggested annual income dwarfs Caitlin Clark’s current annual WNBA salary of $76,535 by over 40 times.
Waters, who turned professional at just 12 years old, is widely regarded as the top player in pickleball. With both athletes now representing Nike and commanding significant fan interest, the stark contrast in their annual earnings has amplified concerns among WNBA players.
Credit: IMAGO
The highlighted difference between the annual incomes of the two stars shows why the WNBA stars have unitedly raised their voices, because the salary gap doesn’t justify the comparison in terms of the sport’s growing popularity and revenue. The WNBPA has been pushing for more reasonable terms when it comes to salary cap, revenue share, and other agenda points in the CBA.
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The disagreement over the CBA terms has seen the WNBA and WNBPA agree to a moratorium. This not only prevents teams and players from getting into talks over contract extensions, delaying free agency deals, but also pushes the whole offseason timeline further up.
Sandy Brondello cites Caitlin Clark as the reason for circling the Indiana Fever matchup
The regular season schedules are out, and the Toronto Tempo fans would be excited to see which games they can attend within the United States. With just over 3 months left before the season kicks off, Sandy Brondello has already highlighted her concerns that could affect Toronto’s maiden WNBA campaign.
The moratorium amid the ongoing CBA negotiations means Toronto cannot start talking to players who would enter Free Agency ahead of the 2026 season. Also, it pushes back the submission dates for protected players by each WNBA franchise ahead of the Expansion Draft.
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This again prevents the former New York Liberty Head Coach from shortlisting the unprotected players that would be available in the aforementioned draft. Amidst all these problems, there is also an air of excitement regarding the potential matchups the schedule has thrown up.
Brondello, though, was clear that she is looking forward to the Indiana Fever matchup because of Caitlin Clark. The Fever franchise boasts a lot of top talent like Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Lexie Hull, Kelsey Mitchell, and many more.
However, Caitlin Clark is arguably becoming the face of the league, if not already, and as Brondello said, everyone would love to go up against a player of her caliber.
The post Forbes Intel Connects Caitlin Clark,18-Year-Old Pickleball Star to a Concerning WNBA Reality appeared first on EssentiallySports.
