Shaquille O’Neal wants NBA pay for Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese: what do they earn in the WNBA?

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese continue to go from strength to strength in the WNBA, with the Indiana Fever point guard breaking rookie records right, left and centre, while the Chicago Sky power forward set a new league best for consecutive double-doubles (13) earlier in the summer.

Shaquille O’Neal impressed with Clark, Reese and WNBA

The two went face to face on Friday under the watchful eye of NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal, who left Wintrust Arena in Chicago suitably impressed with the pair and what he had seen in general.

Clark’s career-high 31 points and 12 assists inspired the Fever to a 100-81 win, which moves them up into sixth place in the overall standings. Quite a recovery after an awful start. Reese registered yet another double-double (10 points, 11 assists) but was unable to stop the Sky from suffering a fifth straight defeat.

Following the match, O’Neal, who recently claimed fellow LSU alumni Reese is “like a daughter” to him, spoke of his desire to see the huge salary gulf between the NBA and the WNBA close, and of his delight that the likes of Clark and Reese were getting recognition for their on-court skills.

“I love it. Especially for women,” said the four-time NBA champion. “They’ve always played great, they’ve always played hard, I’m glad they’re getting their exposure. They definitely deserve it. Now we just got to get them similar contracts to what some of those NBA guys are making”.

How do NBA and WNBA contracts compare?

Last week, Steph Curry signed a $62.6 million contract extension with the Golden State Warriors, making him the third player in NBA history to earn over $500 million from playing deals. O’Neal, who played between 1992 and 2011 and is a 15-time NBA All-Star, made an estimated $292 million during his career.

By contrast, Clark, the hottest prospect in the WNBA, agreed a four-year, $338,056 contract with the Fever in April, while Reese’s deal with the Sky is worth $324,383, also over four years.

As both players are rookies, they are some way off being the top earners in the league. According to Spotrac, Natasha Howard of the Dallas Wings has the most lucrative WNBA deal at $898,000 over four years, while Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces has the highest average salary per season ($252,450).

The current minimum annual salary for players signing standard contracts in the NBA is $1.16 million, while players on two-way contracts earn $578,577, still considerably more than the top figure in the NWBA.