Although she created WNBA and NCAA history in 2024, Caitlin Clark’s achievements this year went beyond the court. Clark’s marketing ability off the court made her one of the highest-paid female athletes of 2024, even though she earned a five-figure base wage with the Indiana Fever.
Deals with companies like Wilson and Panini to produce sought-after collectible items featuring the Iowa Hawkeyes legend increased her $11.1 million endorsement income. In addition to the best names in men’s and women’s basketball, Clark’s collections placed her in historic territory according to Professional Sports Authenticator’s (PSA) year-end list of the most popular sports trading cards.
She became the first woman in history to crack the top 10 of all basketball players with the most cards “graded”by PSA annually, an assessment procedure that rates trading cards to validate their worth. After more than 77,000 trading cards were graded, the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year came in sixth place among all male and female basketball players on PSA’s list.
The trading cards of USC’s JuJu Watkins, WNBA opponent Angel Reese, and UConn guard Paige Bueckers were the next most popular female basketball players. Associated with: Caitlin Clark’s TV record could be threatened by JuJu Watkins’ biggest game of the season.
Despite being well-known in their own right, Clark’s trading card popularity was far greater than that of her female peers. She had sixteen times as many cards evaluated as Reese (4,700) and fourteen times as many as Bueckers (5,400). Clark only fell behind five NBA players in the overall rankings.Icons in total cards rated include LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Victor Wembanyama.
Additionally, this year’s individual sales of Clark’s collectibles were historic. Her 2024 Panini Select WNBA Gold Vinyl 1/1 Signature card sold for $234,850 on Goldin on December 7, making it the most expensive WNBA card ever. In 2022, a Serena Williams collectible sold for $266,400, making it the second-highest-selling women’s sports trading card ever.