In the world of professional sports, there are stars who play the game, and then there are icons who change the business. Caitlin Clark has firmly established herself as the latter. This week, the Indiana Fever sensation once again proved that she lives rent-free in the heads of her critics—and the wallets of major corporations—by dropping a viral new State Farm commercial alongside NBA veteran Chris Paul. But while Clark is laughing all the way to the bank, a storm is brewing in the WNBA front offices over a contract offer that players are calling a “scam.”

The new commercial, which debuted to immediate social media hysteria, features the iconic “Jake from State Farm” character and Chris Paul. The premise is simple but effective: everyone is asking the 40-year-old NBA point guard if he is retiring. Just when the jokes are landing, Caitlin Clark appears, breaking the fourth wall and playfully interrogating Paul. “Is it true? Are you retiring? You can tell me,” she prods with a natural charisma that rivals actors with years of experience.

The spot is only 30 seconds long, but the impact was instantaneous. Fans flooded X (formerly Twitter) with praise, with one user noting, “Nobody understands how much I love Caitlin Clark State Farm content.” It’s a testament to her marketability that State Farm, a brand that has employed Chris Paul for nearly 17 years, is now pivoting its marketing weight behind a WNBA rookie. Clark isn’t just a participant; she is the hook.

However, where there is light, there is shadow. The commercial’s release has reignited the conversation about the “jealousy” that seems to trail Clark wherever she goes. Her Fever teammate, Lexi Hull, recently did an interview with Glamour magazine where she said the quiet part out loud. Hull admitted that there is a palpable “level of jealousy” from other teams and fanbases, noting that the Fever walk into arenas with a massive target on their backs.

“Every time they walk into a gym, there’s a target on their backs,” the report noted. When Clark lands a major national ad campaign while other veterans are fighting for recognition, it inevitably stirs the pot. But as the commercial proves, brands aren’t choosing Clark to be nice; they are choosing her because she moves the needle.

While Clark’s off-court earning potential seems limitless, her on-court employer is currently embroiled in a PR nightmare. The WNBA and its players’ union are in the midst of tense collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations. Earlier this week, headlines screamed that the league had offered a historic “Supermax” salary of over $1.1 million. On the surface, it looked like a victory—a four-fold increase from the current max.

But as the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Insiders have since revealed that the $1.1 million figure is “misleading” at best and “deceptive” at worst. According to sources speaking to Front Office Sports, the base salary in the proposal is actually between $800,000 and $850,000. To reach that million-dollar headline number, a player would have to achieve a near-impossible combination of bonuses: winning the Championship, MVP, All-WNBA First Team, All-Star MVP, and hitting revenue-sharing targets that have never been triggered in the history of the current CBA.

The players’ union response was scathing, referring to the offer as “lipstick on a pig.” They are demanding guaranteed revenue splits—similar to the 50% share NBA players enjoy—rather than “theoretical” bonuses that the league knows will rarely be paid out.

The contrast is jarring. Caitlin Clark is set to make a base salary of less than $86,000 next season in the WNBA. Yet, she is generating hundreds of millions of dollars in value for the league through ticket sales, merchandise, and TV ratings. She makes up the difference through deals with Nike (an 8-year, $28 million contract), Gatorade, and State Farm. But for the league to rely on outside sponsors to pay its biggest star her true worth is a dangerous game.

The danger is becoming real with the emergence of rival leagues. “Unrivaled,” the 3-on-3 league founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, is already offering lucrative alternatives. even more threatening is “Project B,” a proposed international circuit planning to debut in 2026, which is reportedly offering seven-figure salaries to top stars.

If the WNBA cannot come to a fair agreement, they risk a lockout or, worse, a talent drain. Players like Clark, who have options, do not need the WNBA to survive financially. The State Farm commercial is a 30-second reminder of that power dynamic. Clark is a global brand. The WNBA is just one of the stages she performs on.

As the deadline for the CBA negotiations looms, the pressure is squarely on the league. They have a golden goose in Caitlin Clark, a player who brings unprecedented eyes to the product. But as she jokes with Chris Paul about retirement, the WNBA needs to get serious about its future. Because if they continue to offer “fake” millions while their stars make real millions elsewhere, they might find themselves asking, “Is it true? Are the players leaving?” And this time, it won’t be a joke.