Mon, September 22, 2025
WNBA player Caitlin Clark fined for post about referees
Caitlin Clark, an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has been fined $200 by the league for a social media post about referees. The WNBA does not usually announce player fines, according to AP News.
The All-Star guard was fined $200 for a social media post on X which read “refs couldn’t stop us” after Indiana’s win over Atlanta during the first round of playoffs, a competition played after the regular basketball season by the top competitors to determine the league champion.
Clark subsequently posted: “Got fined $200 for this lol,” adding a series of crying laughter emojis. “BENCH MOB WILL BE EVEN MORE ROWDY TOMORROW LETS GOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
She also reportedly shouted to reporters whilst training, “Hey everybody, go look at my tweet,” according to ESPN.
Clark’s teammate Sophie Cunnigham supported Clark on X, stating: “That’s gonna really break the bank for her. starting a GoFundMe now!” Clark has a listed WNBA salary of $78,066 this season, according to Reuters, and this does not include money made from endorsements.
During the first-round series between Indiana and Atlanta, at least 36 fouls were called in each game, including 43 in Game 1.
When discussing the match, Becky Hammon, Las Vegas Aces coach, stated: “These players are incredibly skilled, and that should be highlighted. I don't know if they get a bonus for not calling fouls in the playoffs…
Some of the hits that I saw in the Atlanta-Indiana game, if I did that to you in the street, I would be arrested. But on a WNBA court, it's nothing to see here.”
Indiana Fever will play in the WNBA semifinals against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday.
Tension between players and the league has been growing as of late. In July, WNBA players sported shirts bearing the message “pay us what you owe us” whilst warming up for a game. The WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) have still failed to reach a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement.
Reports in 2024 said that the WNBA was due to lose $40m. However, its broadcast rights have increased from zero in 2002 to around $60 million a year, with that number set to increase to $200 million as part of its combined deal with the National Basketball Association (NBA), according to The Guardian.
Additionally, revenue jumped from $102 million in 2019 to the $180 million - $200 million range in 2023, Bloomberg reported.
Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, the owners of the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, pay 37-year-old Stephen Curry nearly $60m a year. They reportedly pay the entire Valkyries roster barely $1million.
The less a league makes, the lower the share of revenue its players get, but WNBA players are making less than 10%, a rather low figure especially for a professional organisation.
