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Caitlin Clark<\/strong> can cross another item off her bucket list. On April 15, the college basketball superstar, 22, was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a dream. This is something I wrote down on a piece of paper when I was in, like, second grade,\u201d she said. \u201cGet a basketball scholarship. Play in the WNBA. This is something I\u2019ve always wanted to do.\u201d Millions tuned in to watch Iowa take on South Carolina in the NCAA women\u2019s basketball championship game because of Caitlin, and although the Hawkeyes lost, she scored herself a spot in college basketball history as the NCAA\u2019s all-time leading scorer. Her story \u2014 its ups and downs \u2014 has inspired future generations, too.<\/p>\n \u201cI think, you know, understanding how big of an impact that can have on a young girl\u2019s life is super important,\u201d says Caitlin. \u201cSo, I always try to make as much time as I can for them. And just to see them scream your name or have your jersey on \u2014 that\u2019s something that never gets old.\u201d<\/p>\n Not anytime soon, at least. Fanatics has already sold out of Caitlin\u2019s Indiana Fever jersey, and the team saw an uptick in season-ticket sales. \u201cI\u2019m just very lucky to be in this moment,\u201d she said. \u201cAll these opportunities and these things, they\u2019re once in a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n While Caitlin is living out her dream in the WNBA, her starting salary has stirred up a debate among basketball fans. Today<\/em> host Hoda Kotb<\/strong><\/a>, for example, was outraged on April 16 after learning that the women\u2019s basketball star had reportedly signed a four-year contract with the Indiana Fever for $338,000, which broke down to just $76,535 for her first year. In comparison, 2023 NBA draft top pick Victor Wembanyama<\/strong> reportedly had a $55 million deal.<\/p>\n \u201cFor somebody who is now the face of women\u2019s basketball, it seemed kind of ridiculous,\u201d Hoda, 59, said. \u201cThere\u2019s just something about this that\u2019s so disturbing. I mean, I picture all the little girls with signs that say, \u2018Caitlin!\u2019 But this is what her contract is worth?\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, others think Caitlin\u2019s salary is reasonable. New York Liberty player Breanna Stewart<\/strong>\u2019s opinion is somewhere in the middle. \u201cI think that the changes have been happening. The WNBA has been around for 28 years, which is really small compared to any other league in professional sport,\u201d she told People<\/em><\/a> on Wednesday, April 23, later adding, \u201cYou can talk about opportunities for pensions and charters and all these things, but it\u2019s not something that\u2019s going to change overnight, and it\u2019s the mix between us continuing to be great on the court and taking advantage of the things happening off the court.\u201d<\/p>\n After the outcry over her salary, Calitltn reportedly landed a $28 million deal with Nike spanning eight years and including a signature shoe, sources told The Wall Street Journal<\/em><\/a>. This also came after Caitlin made history as the first athlete that Prada dressed for an NBA or WNBA Draft. She walked the red carpet on her big night wearing more than $15,000 worth of merchandise from the designer. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty special,\u201d she said in a video on Prada\u2019s Instagram Stories.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n