Caitlin Clark on new WNBA CBA, Fever title hopes and their top offseason priority
Clark discusses the new CBA, her return to the court, a unique free agency landscape, why Kelsey Mitchell is the Fever's top priority — and calls Nikola Jokic the NBA’s best.
Caitlin Clark joined NBC as a special contributor two months ago and on Sunday evening, she made her second appearance on the program, “Basketball Night in America.”
Clark wore a navy suit with a white button-down shirt. Likely Prada.
It had been nearly two months since Clark’s first appearance on NBC, which came before the network’s Olympic coverage. In that time, she helped lead Team USA to a 5–0 record in San Juan at the FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament, where she was also named MVP.
Clark, who joined for a segment 16 minutes into the show, answered questions from host Maria Taylor. The two were at the desk near center court — on site at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City before the Thunder beat the New York Knicks, 111-100.
Taylor introduced her as “one of the most transformative players in the game, Caitlin Clark. And I say the game, not just women’s.”
The biggest news since her last appearance was the WNBA and WNBPA both ratifying a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which runs through 2032. The new agreement is still being written, but the agreed upon terms were centered on revenue sharing for the first time in league history.
“We did it, baby!” Clark said with a big smile.
There’s a lot more benefits, but a significant hike in salaries and revenue sharing were the two things Clark highlighted as the most transformative — a word both the league and players union emphasized.
“I think it’s as simple as that,” she said. “Obviously there's a lot of great things in the CBA as we move forward. But I think it sets a precedent for all of women's sports going forward, not just women's basketball. That we're truly valued and the product that we put on the floor is valued.
"Just excited and really thankful for everybody; everybody on the WNBA side and everybody on the (WNBPA) side. People put a lot of time and energy into it, took time away from their families. They were having 10-hour meetings and they were up 'til 4 a.m. Just really grateful and thankful. People were very selfless through the process.”
Clark has been a catalyst for the growth of women’s sports. More people are following, watching, and engaging in content. She’s an entertainer — and she gets it. That’s among many reasons why being limited to just 13 games last season due to injury was so challenging.
Taylor asked Clark — the leading vote-getter in the WNBA All-Star Game since she entered the league — what she believes her role is in the growth of women’s sports.
