Fever guard Caitlin Clark's exit interview on Thursday didn't light the WNBA world on fire quite like Napheesa Collier's did, but it still attracted plenty of attention given Clark's dazzling star power in the league.
Not everyone believes Clark carries that much weight in the W, though, as league commissioner Cathy Engelbert made clear in her alleged comment to Collier during CBA negotiations in February. "Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn't make anything," Collier said that Engelbert told her, essentially taking credit for Clark's lucrative endorsement deals.
Toward the end of Clark's exit interview, the New York Post's Madeline Kenney asked Clark for her reaction to hearing Engelbert's dismissive comment.
Clark chose to take the high road, and rather than speak ill of Engelbert, she explained how women's basketball has changed in recent history, allowing players like herself to increase their value and build their brand before going pro.
"I think that's probably the way in which the league has really changed over the course of the last few years," Clark said. "These kids and what they're making in college these days, it's freaking insane. It's honestly probably more than what I made, obviously a lot has changed even since I graduated. ... I was very fortunate after my freshman year of college, that's when I began working with different brands, began working with Nike.
"Young women are coming into this league now with that type of—I don't even want to say it's money—but they're beginning to build their brands in college and then they're bringing that to the WNBA. So I think that's just the way the league has changed and will continue to evolve."
Caitlin asked follow up questions about Cathy’s comments specifically about her college vs W brand.
— ericaf455 (@ericaf455) October 2, 2025
Shout out Hy-Vee!!! pic.twitter.com/YEVtyTkO7R
Clark reiterated that she and her peers were taking part in arguably the most significant moment in WNBA history, and that she hoped to use her popularity and influence for good.
"You all know I grew up as a huge fan of this league, and I'm going to do everything I can to make this the league that a 5-year-old, a 10-year-old, a 15-year-old, a girl at college is really proud of to come into and to be able to put a WNBA uniform on. That's what they dream of, and hopefully they can accomplish that goal because that's exactly who I was. At the end of the day, I hope that's what my legacy can be," said Clark.
Nothing but class from the Fever star.
More WNBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Caitlin Clark's Response to WNBA Commissioner’s Comment About Her Was All Class.
