Caitlin Clark is a marketing juggernaut — but says winning will unlock more

At this point, Caitlin Clark can sign and secure any brand deal she wants. The only thing missing from her meteoric rise to global ubiquity is winning an elusive championship. The Indiana Fever’s superstar guard has helped spur the WNBA’s growth to record heights as the league tips off its 30th season this weekend following a newly signed collective bargaining agreement that increases the average player salary fourfold from 2025.

Clark’s ability to help increase ratings and revenue across the W and women’s sports — all 44 of her regular season games in 2026 will be nationally televised — has also made the 24-year-old a corporate favorite. Despite making an estimated $119,000 last season in on-court earnings, Clark ranked sixth in Sportico’s 15 highest-paid female athletes of 2025 by pulling in nearly $16 million in endorsements from companies like Nike, Gatorade and State Farm. As Clark begins her third pro season against Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and the Dallas Wings on Saturday, she inked a multi-year extension with Xfinity as a brand ambassador that further establishes her status as a cornerstone in the company’s basketball strategy, which includes its designation as the WNBA and NBA’s official TV service provider.

But as Clark grows as an endorsement sensation and business mogul, she’s well aware that on-court achievement will unlock so much more off the court. “One of the most important things somebody ever said to me is you’ve reached this point, but as you continue to grow, the thing you have to do is be able to win,” Clark told Yahoo Sports. “I feel like that's the point I'm kind of at now.

You have to be able to win. That's my main focus, winning and winning a championship. Everything else will come along with that.