She’s Leading in Viewership, Revenue, and Media Impact. And Yet… She’s Paid Like a Store Manager.

It sounds like satire. But it’s not.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese — two of the most-watched, most-marketable athletes in women’s basketball — just had their official salaries leaked. The numbers stunned fans, rattled veterans, and left the WNBA scrambling to control the fallout.

Clark: $76,535.

Reese: $73,439.

Numbers that don’t just feel low — they feel insulting.

Within hours, screenshots of the salary chart circulated online alongside job listings from Walmart and Target. One posting in Des Moines — Clark’s hometown — showed a store manager role starting at $85,000 with full benefits. The most viral tweet spelled it out:

“A Target manager in Iowa makes more than Caitlin Clark. That’s not embarrassing. That’s structural disrespect.”

The tweet now has more than 14 million views.

Then came the clip. Just 12 seconds long.

No logo. No background music. Shaky camera. Angel Reese, sweaty after practice, wiping her face before muttering:

“They can sell our names, but they still won’t pay us.”

She didn’t know she was being recorded. She didn’t need to. The rawness of the line made it impossible to ignore. Fans plastered it on TikTok edits, Instagram captions, and protest T-shirts. Within eight hours, the clip had spread across every women’s sports page on social media.

And suddenly, the quiet frustration became public rebellion.

At All-Star media day, multiple players arrived in plain white tees reading: “PAY US WHAT YOU OWE US.” Reese reportedly refused to remove hers, even when asked by a sponsor’s photographer.

The movement only grew louder on Reddit. A Target store manager from Iowa posted:

“I make $11K more than Caitlin Clark. I’d trade places with her in a second — but does the league even respect her?”

That post hit 20,000 upvotes in two days. JJ Redick shared it. Sue Bird reposted it. Candace Parker liked multiple tweets highlighting the disparity.

And yet, the WNBA stayed silent. Even their All-Star MVP post had comments turned off within hours.

The silence hasn’t calmed the storm. It’s fueled it. Because this isn’t just about money — it’s about value. About ownership. About who profits while the stars carry the spotlight.

One player summed it up best. Not with a shout. Not with a press release.

Just a whisper that won’t go away:

“They can sell our names, but they still won’t pay us.”