While Caitlin Clark did not play in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Final on Tuesday, she made sure to make her presence felt. In her absence, the Indiana Fever walked into the game against the Minnesota Lynx as massive underdogs. However, despite this, the Fever secured a 74-59 victory.
The night marked a historic chapter in the team’s history. Moreover, as a result of winning the Commissioner’s Cup, the team players get to split a prize pool of $500,000, as well as $120,000 of cryptocurrency. While that seems to be nice, Caitlin Clark made a bold statement following the victory.
Caitlin Clark Calls Out WNBA Commissioner Amid Prize Money Difference
As mentioned earlier, the winning team’s players get to split a prize pool of $500,000 and $120,000 of cryptocurrency. However, Clark thinks the league needs to compensate the players who win the championship at the end of the year more fairly.
For those unaware, the total WNBA playoff prize pool is $500,000. The same is as follows: Teams eliminated in the first round: $1,616 per player, Teams eliminated in the second round: $3,123, runner-up: $7,746, WNBA champion: $20,825.
On the flipside, the players of the winning team reportedly earn anywhere from $30,000 to about $41,000 for winning the Commissioner’s Cup. Mentioning the same during teammate Sydney Colson’s postgame Instagram Live from the locker room, Clark sent a quick, but pointed, plea to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
She said, “You get more for this than you do if you’re a champion. Makes no sense. Someone tell Cathy [Engelbert] to help us out.”
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That said, the point raised by Clark is certainly valid. While the Commissioner’s Cup holds its importance, winning the league is a much bigger achievement. That said, it will be interesting to see if this changes anytime soon.
Caitlin Clark Was Voted Ninth By Player Votes In All-Star Voting
The WNBA announced its All-Star voting outcomes earlier this week. While Clark unsurprisingly led all players in fan votes and came in third in media voting at the guard position, the Fever superstar finished at surprisingly ninth among players.
Despite her impressive resume and huge popularity, her colleagues do not seem to be her biggest fans. Her being an All‑Star captain after already receiving more than 1.29 million fan votes, the most ever in league history, is noteworthy. That said, it is safe to say that when an individual alters the scenery as rapidly as Clark has, pushback is inevitable.
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