NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
WNBA legend Nancy Lieberman believes Caitlin Clark is to thank for the league’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that has allowed players to command much higher salaries.
“She’s a generational player. She came in with a fan base of millions and that’s helping the league,” Lieberman said.
“Honestly, they don’t get the $2.2 billion collective bargaining agreement without her being there.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Women’s basketball legend Nancy Lieberman said she would have punched Chennedy Clark in the face if she were Caitlin Clark. (Getty Images)
That recent surge of attention has helped change the financial future of the WNBA.
The WNBA and the National Basketball Players Association reached a new tentative collective bargaining agreement in March. The deal offers significant salary increases, a higher salary cap and more benefits for players.
The new WNBA collective bargaining agreement 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 radical improvements to player benefits, family planning and facility standards.
Lieberman said Clark’s arrival helped propel 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 in their respective sports.
“She’s done her job, just like Tiger did, just like Michael Jordan did,” Lieberman said.
FEVER’S LEXIE HULL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ATTACKS ON PLAYERS AS TEAM’S POPULARITY GROWS DURING CAITLIN CLARK ERA
Clark entered the WNBA in 2024 after a record-breaking collegiate career at Iowa. She attracted massive television audiences, sold-out stadiums and a national conversation that followed her from college to the pros.
Lieberman said that kind of attention doesn’t take anything away from the rest of the league. Help expose more fans to everyone.
“Now, we took A’ja, we took Napheesa, we took Stewie, we took Kelsey Plum, we took Sabrina and all these other great athletes, and now we put them together, that’s very formidable,” 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 are off to a surprisingly disappointing start to the 2026 season amid championship expectations after how close the team came last year.
ZERO BS. ONLY DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
In 2025, the Fever were one game away from reaching the WNBA Finals, while Clark was out with an injury. But Indiana is off to just a 6-5 start to the year so far, while Clark has seen an apparent decline in his shooting accuracy.
But Lieberman believes the Fever will be “fine” as the season progresses. Lieberman said teams now surround Fever games the same way players once surrounded matchups with Michael Jordan.
“You look at the schedule and you get excited about the Fever because you’re dealing with some of the most famous players in the league,” Lieberman said.
“Same with Angel Reese. So, it’s just part of it, people used to get excited about Michael Jordan. It’s okay, you’ve built a reputation, you’ve been able to surpass that reputation and people want to play against the best.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
He said the same goes for other top teams and stars.
“It’s like the Aces,” Lieberman said. “You look at the schedule and say, ‘We’re going to play A’ja Wilson,’ and you get excited about it. Same thing with Angel Reese.”
