NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
WNBA legend Nancy Lieberman thinks Caitlin Clark has the league’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to thank for allowing players to get much higher salaries.
“She’s a generational player. She came with millions of fans, and that helps the league,” Lieberman said.
“Honestly, they don’t get the $2.2 billion collective bargaining agreement without it being there.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Women’s basketball legend Nancy Lieberman said she would have punched Chennedy Clark in the face if she had been Caitlin Clark. (Getty Images)
This recent surge in attention has helped change the financial future of the WNBA.
The WNBA and the National Women’s Basketball Players Association reached a new tentative collective bargaining agreement in March. The deal includes significant salary increases, a higher salary cap and more benefits for players.
The new WNBA CBA is a transformative seven-year labor agreement establishing the first-ever revenue sharing model (on average 20% of league and team revenue). He nearly quintupled the team’s salary cap and introduced sweeping improvements in player benefits, family planning and facility standards.
Lieberman said Clark’s arrival helped usher the league into a new era.
“You can’t deny that she brings the media,” Lieberman said. “You’re talking about her. You probably weren’t talking about anyone four years ago.”
Lieberman compared Clark’s effect on the WNBA to that of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods on their respective sports.
“She did her job, just like Tiger, just like Michael Jordan,” Lieberman said.
FEVER’S LEXIE HULL SPEAKS UP AGAINST ATTACKS ON PLAYERS AS TEAM’S POPULARITY GROWS DURING CAITLIN CLARK ERA
Clark entered the WNBA in 2024 after a record-setting college career at Iowa. She attracted massive television audiences, sold-out arenas and a national conversation that followed her from college to the pros.
Lieberman said that kind of attention doesn’t take away from the rest of the league. This helps expose more fans to everyone.
“Now you take A’ja, you take Napheesa, you take Stewie, you take Kelsey Plum, and you take Sabrina, and all these other great athletes, and now you put them together — it’s very great,” Lieberman said.
“These young players coming into the league have an incredible fan base,” Lieberman added. “They were making millions of dollars in college with their NILs, so they just brought that to the league…
“We shouldn’t be jealous of them,” Lieberman said. “We should celebrate them, not tolerate them.”
Clark’s Indiana Fever is off to a surprisingly disappointing start to the 2026 season amid championship expectations after the team’s closeness last year.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
In 2025, the Fever was one game away from reaching the WNBA Finals, while Clark was sidelined due to injury. But so far, Indiana has gotten off to just a 6-5 start this year, while Clark has seen an apparent decline in his shooting accuracy.
But Lieberman thinks the Fever will be “fine” as the season unfolds. Lieberman said teams now circle Fever games the same way players once circled Michael Jordan matchups.
“You see the schedule and you’re excited for the Fever because you’re dealing with some of the most famous players in the league,” Lieberman said.
“Same with Angel Reese. So that’s just part of the problem, people were excited for Michael Jordan. It doesn’t matter, you created a reputation, you were able to surpass that reputation, and people want to play against the best.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
She said the same was true for other teams and big-name stars.
“It’s like the Aces,” Lieberman said. “You look at the show and you say, ‘We’re playing A’ja Wilson,’ and you’re excited for that. Same with Angel Reese.”
