The face of collegiate women’s basketball, Caitlin Clark, should she play another season in Iowa or enter the 2024 WNBA Draft? That is the actual million-dollar question that Clark must answer. She currently makes a fortune from her NIL deals with companies like Nike, Gatorade, State Farm, and Bose, but going pro would likely result in a much smaller income—ironic, given that just a few years ago, student-athletes were unable to monetize their NIL.

Clark ranks No. 29 among all collegiate athletes and among the top five among female athletes with an estimated NIL valuation of $818,000, according to Hawkeyes Wire.

According to Spotrac, if Clark were to turn pro, her first-year WNBA deal would bring in $76,535 in revenue. Even though it’s possible that Clark’s NIL sponsorships may continue into her professional athletic career, WNBA senior sports pundit Michael Wilbon has pushed the organization to close the salary disparity or risk losing players of Clark’s caliber.

On ESPN’s “PTI” on Monday, Wilbon stated, “The NIL—controversial as it is—provides a lot of money to Caitlin Clark and so many others.” In this particular instance, the WNBA falls well short of that. It will be interesting to observe how it develops in comparison to NIL deals and what those can pay, as well as the league.

According to an article in the Hawkeye Wire, Clark might be courted by the SWARM collective and Iowan local businesses with a one-year offer of $1,014,168, which is potentially three times the amount of her current sponsorship deals combined with her WNBA contract. The claim is that Clark sells out every venue she enters; Front Office Sports claims that even visiting teams have experienced a 145% increase in attendance.

In summary, Clark is a box office draw and could end up being the face of all sports in the future.

Clark has expressed interest in returning to Iowa to complete her Master’s degree and continue playing for the Hawkeyes, although she is still unsure about turning professional later this year. Clark has, however, also called being a WNBA player “a dream” in a number of interviews.

Many think that Clark’s entry into the WNBA will resolve the long-standing salary problems plaguing the league, enabling elite players like Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, and Kelsey Plum to make salaries more in line with those of their male NBA counterparts.