Ilona Maher Makes Her Opinion of Caitlin Clark's WNBA Salary Extremely Clear

Team USA women's rugby icon Ilona Maher got honest about the WNBA salary Caitlin Clark receives.

Ilona Maher on December 8, 2024. | IMAGO / Action Plus

One of the biggest stories in the women's sports world in the lead up to the Paris 2024 Olympics was Caitlin Clark getting snubbed from the Team USA 5x5 women's basketball team, which sparked controversy and debate that has continued all the way up until now, despite that snub occurring over a year ago at this point.

The good news is that plenty of other female superstars stole the show at Paris, to the point where Clark's non-participation didn't linger over the Olympic games. One of the women who became a household name was Ilona Maher, a female Team USA rugby player who captivated the country with her infectious personality and dominating presence on the pitch, which helped Team USA produce a bronze medal.

Maher is the host of a podcast called House of Maher. And in a July 9 episode, she got honest about Clark's WNBA salary.

"I actually think I know. It's like $75,000, even though she brings in like $36 million to her city," Maher said when asked to guess Clark's WNBA salary this season. For what it's worth, Maher was extremely close, as Clark is making a base salary of $78,066 this season (it was $76,535 in 2024).

Maher then accurately explained the current WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations, saying that players want their max salaries to increase from about $250,000 to around $1 million.

She later added, "I mean, [Caitlin] is the same as me. We don't make much money from our sport. I think what's crazy is that... They're selling out stadiums, they're getting the fans in, she's bringing in so much money, and because of the salary cap, she's only making $78,000.

"That's crazy, and she definitely deserves more."

It's cool to hear Maher having Clark's back in this way.