Elon Musk still hasn’t given Caitlin Clark $10 million, but persistent online claims say otherwise

How many times can X owner Elon Musk purportedly throw millions at Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark? 

More than once, at least. 

In August, we fact-checked a claim that Musk had backed the WNBA star, offering her a "$10 million endorsement." That claim originated on a self-described satire site. But now, a couple of months later, a similar story is supposedly breaking again. 

"Breaking news: Elon Musk endorses Caitlin Clark, will soon donate $10 million: ‘You are the pride of America, I support you,’" an Oct. 15 Facebook post said.

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

The account shared a link in the post’s comments for more information, which led to an Oct. 16 blog post on a site called "Fancy 4 Work."

The blog post claimed that Musk had "publicly endorsed the rising basketball star Caitlin Clark and pledged a $10 million donation to support her career."

He "took to social media to express his admiration for Clark," the post said. "Calling her ‘the pride of America.’"

Featured Fact-check

Threads posts

stated on September 23, 2024 in a Threads post

Says John Fetterman said he’s “voting for Trump.”

"Musk tweeted late last night: ‘Caitlin Clark is the embodiment of dedication and excellence in sports. You are the pride of America, and I support you.’"

We searched Musk’s X account for this statement and found he never posted it, on Oct. 15, as the blog said, or ever.

We searched for credible evidence, such as news reports or public statements from Musk or Clark, to corroborate the Facebook post’s claim but found none. 

We rate it False.