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Caitlin Clark Issues Demand to WNBA Commissioner originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Caitlin Clark won her first WNBA championship of any kind on Tuesday when the Indiana Fever defeated the Minnesota Lynx 74-59 in the 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final.
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Clark played a significant role in the Fever reaching the final, but she was not able to play in the game due to a groin injury.
Indiana forward Natasha Howard won the game’s MVP award thanks to her stalwart defense against Napheesa Collier and the Lynx. Howard’s exemplary performance included her posting 16 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in the Lynx matchup.
Nonetheless, Clark celebrated with her teammates in the locker room after the game. On teammate Sydney Colson’s Instagram live, Clark called out WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert immediately after the Fever’s big win.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (left) and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert (right).Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK; Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
“Guys, we won the Cathy Cup,” she said of the in-season trophy.
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As many players admitted, their main incentive was not the hardware, but the share of the $500,000 prize pool that went to the winning team.
Clark, who will make $78,066 in the second year of her rookie contract this season, called out Engelbert over the inconsistency of players’ compensation.
“That’s what me and Syd (Colson) were talking about,” Clark said during the locker room celebrations. “You get more (money) for this than you do if you’re the (WNBA Finals) champion. It makes no sense. Someone tell Cathy to help us out.”
Colson knows firsthand, as she won both the Commissioner’s Cup and the Finals with the Las Vegas Aces in 2022. Each player on the roster of the postseason champion earns a bonus of $20,825, whereas the midseason tournament winners take home approximately $30,000 each.
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Clark’s demand to Engelbert to help the players out comes at a pivotal moment for the league. The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) runs out after the 2025 season. Ongoing negotiations have been tense, with players like Angel Reese threatening a work stoppage if union demands are not met.
Despite being in her second season, Clark arguably holds more leverage than any other player in the league. Her popularity can be seen in television ratings, ticket sales and All-Star votes, and she was recently estimated to be worth as much as $1 billion to the WNBA.
Even on a champagne-soaked Instagram live video, her words will hold plenty of weight.
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Related: Sophie Cunningham Reveals First Thing On Her Mind After Indiana Fever Game
Related: Fans Saying Same Thing About Indiana Fever Without Caitlin Clark
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
