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Salary of WNBA Refs Discussed Following Caitlin Clark, Marina Mabrey Incident

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 4:06 PM ET

In what was one of the chippiest games of the 2025 WNBA season, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever secured an 88-71 win over Marina Mabrey and the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night.

Throughout the first half, both Clark and Sun guard Jacy Sheldon were going at each other, constantly exchanging words and shoves throughout.

However, in the third quarter, things really started to get heated after Sheldon accidentally hit Clark in the face, which led to another slight shoving match. But Mabrey took exception and walked over, shoving Clark to the floor.

Later in the game, with less than a minute to play, Sophie Cunningham decided to get involved with Sheldon, grabbing and bringing her to the ground on a fast-break layup attempt. Another fight broke out before officials were able to separate both teams.

Overall, the officials handed out two flagrant fouls and six technical fouls, five of which were on Connecticut. They ejected Cunningham, Sheldon and Lindsay Allen.

Following the game, an X post circulated claiming to reveal how much WNBA officials earn per game and per season. It cited that officials make roughly "$180 to $425 per game" and about "$16,000 to $50,000" annually.

Once you realize how much WNBA refs are paid, it suddenly makes a lot more sense. pic.twitter.com/kF0rNseYnO
— IU DeWonka ⚪️ (@HoosierFever) June 18, 2025

Despite the high amount of engagement on the above post, the numbers are inaccurate. According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement between WNBA Development and the National Basketball Referees Association, WNBA officials actually make much more.

In fact, a rookie official’s first game of the 2025 WNBA season would have earned them $1,538, nearly four times the top end of the potential per-game rate listed above. And with each year of service, the per-game payout increases. An official with 20 years of experience will earn $2,507 per game this season. And the pay per game is scheduled to increase each of the next two seasons.

In a 44-game WNBA season, a rookie official would earn $15,380 for every 10 games worked, meaning any official working regularly would earn much more than the $16,000 baseline mentioned in the post above.

The actual amount earned by WNBA referees. pic.twitter.com/fdxmcftpmk
— Sports N Stuff (@SportsNStuffx) June 18, 2025

Following the Sun game, Clark and the Fever will be back in action on Thursday, facing the Golden State Valkyries for the first time. Mabrey and the Sun, on the other hand, get the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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