"Caitlin Clark's same as me" - Ilona Maher calls out WNBA pay gap, questions Fever star's low salary despite high revenue

American rugby player Ilona Maher shared her thoughts on WNBA star Caitlin Clark receiving a modest salary, considering the immense impact she has had on the growth of her league. Clark, playing for the Indiana Fever, has been immensely impactful since her rookie year in 2024, where she scored 769 points at an average of 19.2 points per game.

According to reports, Clark had a significant impact on WNBA revenue and is reportedly responsible for more than 20% of it. Despite these successes, Clark is only paid a little more than 78,000 USD as a rookie due to the $1.5 million of the WNBA salary cap rule.

Notably, even after Clark becomes a senior on the team, her most lucrative salary can go up to $250,000 due to the stringent cap of the league, which is severely less than top players in the NBA.

Speaking in a recent episode of the House of Maher podcast, Maher drew sharp similarities between her and Clark, stating that both earn most of their money from endorsements and not their sport.

The rugby player also remarked that for the amount she was bringing to the league, the Indiana Fever deserved a lot more. She said:

"I mean, she's same as me. We don't make much money from our sport. I think what's crazy is that at a time that 78k was pretty good, but the explosive rise of WNBA from even like 3 or 4 years ago, like it hasn't risen to match that.

"That's been the issue that they are selling out stadiums, getting the fans in and she's bringing so much money and yet because of the salary cap, she could only make 78k, like that's crazy and she deserves more."

Similar to Caitlin Clark, Ilona Maher also earns a little from her rugby endeavors, but she has a lot of other income sources, such as social media and endorsements.

Ilona Maher heaped praises on Caitlin Clark for her ability to bring in more fans to the WNBA

Ilona Maher (Image via: Getty)

Ilona Maher gave a shout-out to Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark for the latter's ability to bring in more fans to WNBA games. During an interview a few months ago, Maher said that fans connect with Clark a lot, and thus they go to the stadium to watch her matches.

Maher has also urged that she wants to see more rugby players similar to Clark's prowess, so that the sport can develop. She said, via The Guardian:

"I’ve seen the power of people connecting with the individual and then going to a sport. People connect with Caitlin Clark and go see a [WNBA] game and that brings more fans in. So if we could have more people connect with [leading women’s players], that brings them in. That is my goal."

During the conversation, Ilona Maher also remarked that she can't be the only icon of her sport, and she wants to see more such stars grow in rugby.