WNBA star clarifies Caitlin Clark comments after joining new team following playoff defeat

WNBA star Gabby Williams clarified her comments regarding commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s claims the league’s players – including Caitlin Clark – make anywhere close to $700,000 per season

Gabby Williams clarified her statements regarding WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s claims that players in the league are making upwards of up to $700,000. In her end-of-season press conference, Williams pushed back on the notion that WNBA players like Caitlin Clark made anywhere close to the figure Engelbert claimed players made in the United States.

For context, the league’s highest-paid player is Las Vegas Aces star Jackie Young, with a salary of $252,450. Typically rookies make a fraction of that amount, which is why Williams’ teammate in Seattle, star rookie Nika Muhl, has elected to play in Turkey as well – like the French star – after the Storm’s season ended.

While on a flight to Turkey to join Fenerbahçe, Williams took to TikTok to explain her comments, specifically singling out a fan who claimed Clark made almost $1 million as a rookie. In particular, the 28-year-old stated just how much the Indiana Fever rookie made from the WNBA, outside of endorsements.

In the video, I’m talking about WNBA salaries and our collective bargaining agreement – I’m not talking about personal endorsements,” Williams began. “I’m not gonna disclose what I make from personal endorsement, I’m talking about specifically what WNBA salaries are and what is written in our CBA, which all of you can Google and it’s all public information.”

Williams added that she had been playing overseas for the last three years and when asked why she does so, the star forward made it clear she was paid more overseas than in the WNBA. She then turned her attention to the commenter who claimed Clark made at least $700,000 as a rookie.

“Clark makes $70,000 in the WNBA,” she continued. “So I know all these Caitlin Clark fans, whatever, like ‘Caitlin Clark makes $700,000’ – that’s off of endorsements. I’m not talking about endorsements, I’m talking about the WNBA.

Gabby Williams took to social media to explain her comments regarding WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s claims player make over $100,000 a year ( 
Image:
TikTok)
“And no. There is not one player in the entire WNBA that makes the money that the commissioner likes to brag about and that was the point of that clip as well.”

Williams’ comments come after her thoughts regarding Engelbert’s claims that WNBA players made more money than advertised received some backlash. The Olympic silver medalist took the time out to call out Engelbert for her false claims and explained that the lack of income is what is forcing players to leave the United States to play overseas to supplement their income.

“The W[NBA] thinks that they don’t have to pay us more in order for us to be here. And I think I didn’t express that when I first talked about prioritization,” Williams said at the time. “Our commissioner talked about us being able to make $700,000. That’s actually not true at all. There’s not one player who makes that.”

The French star also added that part of the reason why WNBA players aren’t being paid enough is because the league had failed to properly enact “team marketing agreements and league marketing agreements.” “So it’s still not enough for us international players to want to stay here and that’s a choice of the players,” she continued.

“If I make a choice to make more money, whatever, and then teams are mad that I don’t come back, but that’s how it is. The WNBA, if you want us to be here, you have to pay us more. It’s business, it’s how it works, and that’s all that means.”

Still, Williams did WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier their flowers for creating “Unrivaled,” an offseason league that will keep players in the United States, while giving players better pay. “Going overseas isn’t for everyone,” she said. “I understand that it’s not the situation for everyone so shout out to them for giving players options to make money.