WNBA needs Caitlin Clark more than she needs the league, Dan Patrick says
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Longtime sports reporter Dan Patrick says the WNBA has turned its back on Caitlin Clark amid contentious collective bargaining agreement negotiations.
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier revealed that in a private conversation with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Engelbert told her that the league should be grateful to Clark for giving her the platform to earn $16 million off the court.
Patrick said the WNBA needs Caitlin Clark more than the WNBA does.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks onto the court before the game against the Phoenix Mercury at PHX Arena on September 2, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Rick Scuteri/Imagn Images)
Patrick said on a recent appearance on OutKick: “Are they going to make $300,000? Maybe one day, but Caitlin Clark shouldn’t be making $78,000 a year and then be thankful she’s making $16 million off the court. The WNBA needs Caitlin Clark; Caitlin Clark doesn’t need the WNBA.” “Don’t Do It to Me with Dan Dakich.”
“The WNBA seems to have turned on Caitlin Clark. Now they’re turning to Caitlin Clark and saying, ‘Hey, you know what, we need her. Hey, in this particular conversation I had with the commissioner, the commissioner said Caitlin should be thankful. Everybody should be on their knees because of the amount of money.'”
Patrick said negotiations between the WNBA and players have become “dirty.”
The 69-year-old said he was “a little surprised” that Engelbert mentioned Clark in his conversation with Collier, because Clark and Collier share the same manager.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark signs autographs before Game 3 of the WNBA basketball semifinal playoff series against the Las Vegas Aces on September 26, 2025 in Indianapolis. (Darron Cummings/AP Photo)
Engelbert denied commenting about Clark at a news conference last week.
“Obviously, I didn’t make those comments. Caitlin was a transformative player in this league. She represented the game in a great way. She brought tens of millions of new fans to the game,” Engelbert said.
Patrick described Engelbert as an intelligent woman and noted some positive things she did.
“This commissioner has done some positive things. They’ve got five new expansion teams coming in, they’ve got a TV deal, so there’s some positive things,” Patrick said.
As negotiations became contentious, the pressure on Engelbert increased.
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Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie (right) holds the Lombardi Trophy with commentator Dan Patrick (left) after the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII on February 4, 2018 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
The players association and the WNBA agreed to an eight-year deal in 2020, but last year the WNBPA voted to exit the deal early.
The current contract will expire on October 31.
Patrick worked at ESPN from 1989 to 2006, then at NBC Sports in 2008, where he remained until 2018. He currently hosts “The Dan Patrick Show.” Patrick’s full interview with Dakich will air on OutKick on Friday.
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