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WNBA legend Nancy Lieberman believes Caitlin Clark is to thank for the league’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that has allowed players to earn much higher salaries.
“She’s a generational player. She brought a fan base of millions and that helps the league,” Lieberman said.
“They don’t get the $2.2 billion collective bargaining agreement, frankly, without her being there.”
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Women’s basketball legend Nancy Lieberman said she would have punched Chennedy Clark in the face if she were Caitlin Clark. (Getty Images)
The recent surge in attention has helped change the financial future of the WNBA.
The WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association reached a tentative new collective bargaining agreement in March. The agreement provides large salary increases, a larger salary cap and more player benefits.
The new WNBA CBA is a transformative seven-year labor agreement that establishes the first-ever revenue sharing model (averaging 20% of league and team revenue). It nearly quintuples the team’s salary cap and introduces sweeping upgrades to player benefits, family planning and facility standards
Lieberman said Clark’s arrival helped push 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’s done her job, just like Tiger did, just like Michael Jordan did,” Lieberman said.
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Clark entered the WNBA in 2024 after a record-setting college career at Iowa. She brought 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. It 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 formidable,” Lieberman said.
“These young players coming into the league have this incredible fan base,” Lieberman added. “They made millions of dollars in college with their NILs, so they just brought it to the league….
“We shouldn’t be jealous of them,” Lieberman said. “We should celebrate them, not condone them.”
Clark’s Indiana Fever are off to a surprisingly underwhelming start to the 2026 season amid championship expectations after how close the team came last year.
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In 2025, the Fever came one game back from reaching the WNBA Finals, all while Clark was sidelined with an injury. But so far, Indiana is off to just a 6-5 start this year, while Clark has seen an apparent decline in shooting accuracy.
But Lieberman believes the Fever will be “nice” as the season progresses. Lieberman said teams now revolve around Fever games the way players once revolved around matchups with Michael Jordan.
“You see the schedule and you get amped up for the fever because you’re dealing with some of the most famous players in the league,” Lieberman said.
“Same thing with Angel Reese. So that’s just part of it, people used to be amped up for Michael Jordan. It’s okay, you’ve made a reputation for yourself, you’ve been able to surpass the reputation, and people want to play against the best.”
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She said the same goes for other marquee teams and stars.
“It’s like the Aces,” Lieberman said. “You look at the schedule and you say, ‘We’re playing A’ja Wilson,’ and you get amped for this. Same with Angel Reese.”
