Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are two of the biggest names in women’s sports.
The college rivals joined the WNBA as the first and seventh picks in this year’s Draft.
GettyAnna Leigh Waters is the biggest star in her sport[/caption]
But despite bringing in huge viewing figures, Clark earned just $76,535 in salary for her rookie season and Reese received $73,439.
By comparison, Zaccharie Risacher scored a four-year, $57million contract after going first overall in the NBA Draft.
Clark and Reese could also be casting envious glances at the world of pickleball, where Anna Leigh Waters earns more than her male peers.
The 17-year-old’s agent told Forbes that her client will earn a staggering sum in 2024.
“She will earn more than $3 million this year,” confirmed Kelly Wolf “She has become the face of pickleball and both the PPA Tour [Professional Pickleball Association] and MLP [Major League Pickleball] know that.”
Clark and Reese both earn far more in endorsements than they do for their hard work on the court, the former netted $11million in 2024.
Waters has already lined up sponsorship deals with FILA, Paddletek, Lock Laces, Cetaphil, Biofreeze, Collectbobbles, and Shiseido among others.
Those tie-ins take her earnings past $10million, according to the teen, who went pro at 12 to become her sport’s youngest ever star.
“I’m young, I’m still living with my parents, but I make over seven figures a year,” Waters said.
“When I first started playing pickleball, you would go to a local tournament and play on these taped courts that were on tennis courts, or maybe even indoor on a basketball court and it was just kind of this fun thing that people would do.
GettyWaters celebrates after winning the PPA Pickleball World Championships[/caption]
GettyClark’s salary is nothing compared to her brand deals[/caption]
GettyReese spends a lot of time building her social media profile[/caption]
“And then when COVID happened, that’s when I noticed that pickleball really grew and it was because a lot of families were going out to parks or even building courts in their driveways and it was something they could do together and have fun.
“And then after COVID hit, the tournaments got way bigger. We were playing at bigger facilities, more national and worldwide sponsors were getting into the sport.”
Waters, who turns 18 in January, is No. 1 in the world in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
The sport’s top-ranked man, Ben Johns, told CNBC in May that his combined earnings from salary and endorsements wouldn’t top $2.5million this year.
“There’s nobody else out there that has all these deals that she has right now,” Wolf added. “Anna Leigh is her own little cottage industry, to be quite honest.”
Leigh Waters – Anna Leigh’s mother and doubles partner – played Division I tennis at the University of South Carolina.
Her then-11-year-old daughter stepped in when Leigh’s doubles partner dropped out of a tournament in Dallas six years ago – the rest is history.
“So my mom asked me to fill in and we played and got silver in the pro tournament, and my mom was like, “Ok, I guess you’re ready to play pro with me,’” Anna Leigh said. “So that’s kind of how my pro journey started.
“I was home-schooled since third grade so I’ve kind of been used to the sports and school type of thing.
“But I also enjoy doing things outside of pickleball, like I love to cook, bake, hang out with my friends.
“But I think because I’ve been used to it, it’s just kind of a normal thing for me and anything else would be different.”