Elon Musk did not give WNBA star Caitlin Clark $10M

Rating:

On Mar. 15, 2025, a viral post claimed tech billionaire Elon Musk was supporting WNBA basketball player Caitlin Clark with $10 million in funding. The Facebook post said Musk also announced his support for Clark on X.

The full post read:

BREAKING NEWS: Elon Musk Backs Caitlin Clark with $10 Million in Funding: “I Support You, Caitlin Clark”. 

In a surprising and generous move, Elon Musk has announced that he is providing $10 million in funding to basketball star Caitlin Clark, a gesture of support that has caught the attention of sports fans and business communities alike. The billionaire entrepreneur made the announcement via Twitter, stating, “I support you, Caitlin Clark,” alongside the news of the significant financial backing. The funding will reportedly help Clark further her career, with the specifics of its use still unclear. Many speculate that the money could go toward her training, endorsement deals, or even the launch of her own initiatives in the world of sports.

(Facebook user “Chef Andrew Gruel”)

The claim has persisted online for several months. Many users on YouTube and Facebook shared the post as though it were real. The above Facebook post had thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.

A YouTube account shared the same claim under the headline, “Elon Musk Backs Caitlin Clark, Offers $10 Million Endorsement: ‘I Support You, Caitlin Clark.'”

The above post originated from a source that is satirical in nature. There is no evidence of Musk posting about his support for Clark on his X account, nor of him sponsoring her for $10 million.

We found no authentic news coverage or statements from Clark or Musk confirming the above claims. Were this really the case, such news would have been widely covered. 

In December 2024, Musk shared an X post criticizing Clark for talking about her “white privilege.” He wrote “100%” alongside a post stating: “”My truth” and “white privilege” are code for someone who has been captured by the woke mob and is pandering to get people to like and accept them. No matter how much Caitlin Clark panders, they’ll still hate her guts.”

The claims originated from a June 2024 article on Esspots.com (archived). The article stated:

In a bold and unexpected move, Elon Musk has thrown his support behind Caitlin Clark, the rising star of women’s basketball, by offering her a $10 million endorsement deal. Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur known for his ventures in technology and space exploration, made the announcement via social media, expressing his admiration for Clark’s talent and potential. This endorsement not only highlights Clark’s growing influence in the sports world but also underscores the evolving nature of athlete sponsorships in the age of social media and tech magnates.

Esspots.com’s disclaimer says:

Welcome to Esspots.com, a website that specializes in satire, parody, and humor. Before you proceed to read our content, we would like to emphasize that nothing on this website is real. All of the articles, stories, and commentary found on Esspots.com are entirely fictitious and created for the purpose of entertainment only.

Esspots.com and its associated SpaceX Fanclub Facebook page, both of which are part of the SpaceXMania network of websites and social media accounts, have a history of fabricating stories for engagement, many of which Snopes has covered in the past.

Snopes has previously addressed rumors about both Musk and Clark, including a fake X post claiming Musk said “billionaires are tired” of subsidizing public services. Snopes also covered a fake claim that Clark turned down a $1 million offer to appear on an episode of “The View.”

For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.