Caitlin Clark Is One of the Biggest Names in the WNBA, but Is She Leaving?

Because of the enormous pay disparities between the NBA and the WNBA, and the length of the WNBA season, many WNBA players have to supplement their incomes by playing basketball overseas during the off-season. Caitlin Clark just joined the league after graduating college, and had an enormously successful rookie season.

Following her success, though, rumors have begun swirling that she might be leaving the WNBA for good to play basketball overseas. Here's what we know about those rumors, and whether there's any truth to them at all.

There have been no confirmed reports that Caitlin Clark is planning to play basketball in Europe. In spite of her stardom, she's only making a little more than $80,000 for her rookie season. Of course, she also has a variety of lucrative sponsorship deals that supplement that income, and actually probably account for more of the money that she's bringing in. Given that sponsorship money, she might not feel the pressure that some other players do to play overseas.

In her Instagram post commemorating the end of her rookie season, Caitlin made it quite clear that she plans to be back with the Indiana Fever for another go-round.

"Year one ✅ — thank you to the many people who have supported me as I’ve been able to live my childhood dream. I’m filled with gratitude as I reflect on this past year of my life. See you all in year two," she wrote.

There have been a number of trending YouTube videos and social media posts that seemed to suggest that Caitlin was leaving the league, and not only that, but that she wouldn't be back. Some of those posts even suggested that the news had come from ESPN, but it seems like that is not actually the case. Those reports are unverified, and at this point, we have no reason to believe that they are true.

In fact, Caitlin may be a central part of the league's emergence as a more major presence in America's sports conversation. While the ratings for WNBA games still pale in comparison to some other sports leagues, the league saw new highs in viewership during its 2024 season, and the highest of those highs occurred in games where Caitlin was taking the court.

Caitlin was also named the rookie of the year for her first season in the league, and also came in fourth in MVP voting. That's a pretty impressive effort, and suggests that she could be even better when she's more well-rested and more familiar with what the WNBA is all about.

Given that the league is just 12 teams, the WNBA represents some of the best female athletes in the world. Caitlin has been lucky enough to count herself among them, and more than that, prove that she can be one of the cream of the crop. It seems unlikely that she'll ride off to Europe now that her star is fully emerging in the U.S.