Dwyane Wade drops truth bomb on WNBA fans addressing Caitlin Clark's salary concerns on Fever

Basketball Hall-of-Famer and WNBA team part-owner Dwyane Wade put things in perspective for the fans' concern over the salary that Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark will be receiving in her first year in the league as opposed to a counterpart in the NBA.

As per the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement, Clark, the star out of the University of Iowa, is set to earn an average of $84,000 a year in her first four years in the league. It is considerably lower than the $13 million per year that Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs top rookie pick this season, is getting early in his career.

On "The Wine Down" podcast, three-time NBA champion and Chicago Sky part-owner Wade chimed in on the matter, highlighting how at the moment the NBA and the WNBA are valued differently by various stakeholders.

He even asked the fans to look into themselves to see why such discrepancy between the two leagues exists, saying:

"I think the one thing is what people don't understand is, it's them. They're not tuning in [the WNBA]. The NBA, the players, make the money they make is because of our TV deals. Simple as that. How do you get TV deals? Because people are tuning in and the WNBA has never had a big TV deal..."

He added:

"So long as we continue to tune in and keep watching [the WNBA] the money for the WNBA is there from the big brands ... an once that money come in the next TV deal, now the women's salary goes up and up ..."

Check out what Wade had to say below, beginning at 9:43:

Caitlin Clark was selected first overall by the Fever in this year's WNBA draft following an illustrious collegiate career with the Iowa Hawkeyes, where she rewrote a number of Division I records, including most points scored in history.

In Indiana, she will try to help the team improve on its 13-27 record from last season, placing them at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Dwyane Wade not surprised brands are tapping on Caitlin Clark

Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade is not at all surprised that Caitlin Clark has gotten the attention and interest of various big brands, saying that the incoming WNBA rookie has done a great job making herself viable.

The 12-time NBA All-Star said that considering what Clark did for women's collegiate basketball while at the University of Iowa, it is little wonder that brands gravitated towards her.

Wade said:

"Cailtlin Clark has the biggest brand in the world, she became a star in the middle of America. That's the meat of it, and it was a perfect storm... You don't got to work hard to build a brand for Caitlin Clark at this point, it's built."

After being selected first overall by the Fever in the WNBA draft this year, Caitlin Clark signed a landmark eight-year, $28-million contract signature shoe deal with Nike and is the first female athlete to have her team apparel showcased in all Dick's Sporting Goods stores across the United States.