How Much Do WNBA Players Make? Who is the Highest Paid Player in the WNBA?
by Janani | Updated Jul 13, 2023
WNBA
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a world-famous professional basketball league in the United States, having 12 teams. It was established on April 22, 1996, as the women's equivalent of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and began its first season of league play in 1997.
The regular season takes place from May to September, with the All-Star game held in July (excluding Olympic years) and the WNBA Finals occurring at the end of September to early October.
Among the WNBA teams, five of them have direct counterparts in the NBA and share the same arena: Indiana Fever, New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx, Los Angeles Sparks, and Phoenix Mercury.
On the other hand, the Connecticut Sun, Seattle Storm, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Las Vegas Aces, Dallas Wings, and Washington Mystics do not share an arena with an NBA team, although four of them (Dream, Sky, Wings, and Mystics) share the same market as an NBA team. Two of these teams (Mystics and Dream) play in NBA G League arenas.
The Storm originally shared both an arena and market with the NBA's SuperSonics when it was founded. Independently owned teams in the WNBA include the Dream, Sky, Sun, Wings, Aces, Sparks, and Storm. The Aces' ownership belongs to Mark Davis, who additionally owns the Las Vegas Raiders of the NFL.
How Much Do WNBA Players Make?
According to NBC Sports, the average salary for 151 WNBA athletes in 2022 was $102,751. The current season has set the minimum salary at $62,285, while the top-paid players in the league are earning a maximum of $234,936, as reported by Spotrac.
It has been a common practice for WNBA players to play overseas to supplement their league earnings because the salaries offered in other regions, particularly Europe, are significantly higher than what they can earn in the WNBA.
At the commencement of the 2023 season, the average salary across the WNBA stands at $113,295, calculated among a total of 137 players. This figure reflects the average earnings of the players in the league. Comparatively, in the previous year of 2022, the average salary was recorded at $102,751. The increase in the league average salary indicates a positive growth trend, demonstrating an upward trajectory in player earnings within the WNBA.
Who is the Highest Paid Player in the WNBA?
Jewell Loyd from the Seattle Storm, Arike Ogunbowale from the Dallas Wings, and Diana Taurasi from the Phoenix Mercury all have a maximum salary of $234,936 for the current season. In the WNBA, there are three athletes who share the distinction of being the highest-paid players in terms of average base salaries. Here is the list of the top 10 salaries of the WNBA Players.
S.No
Rank
Player
Salary
1
1
Jewell Loyd
$234,936
2
1
Arike Ogunbowale
$234,936
3
1
Diana Taurasi
$234,936
4
4
Elena Delle Donne
$234,350
5
4
Skylar Diggins-Smith
$234,350
6
4
DeWanna Bonner
$234,350
7
7
Natasha Howard
$227,900
8
8
Alyssa Thomas
$212,000
9
9
Jonquel Jones
$211,150
10
10
Brionna Jones
$208,000
According to a 2021 report by Agha and David Berri, WNBA players received 21 percent of the league's $60 million revenue in 2019. In comparison, NBA players earned approximately 50 percent of their league revenue during the same year.
WNBA players are advocating for equal treatment in terms of revenue sharing rather than expecting the same salaries as their male counterparts
How Much are WNBA Rookies Paid?
The salary of a WNBA rookie varies depending on their draft position. As per the current collective bargaining agreement, here is a breakdown of the salaries for rookies drafted in 2023 for this season:
WNBA Players
Here is the list of the famous WNBA Players, with their age.
Player
Age
Date of Birth
Candace Parker
37 years
April 19, 1986
Elena Delle Donne
33 years
September 5, 1989
Breanna Stewart
28 years
August 27, 1994
Diana Taurasi
41 years
June 11, 1982
Sue Bird
42 years
October 16, 1980
A'ja Wilson
26 years
August 8, 1996
DeWanna Bonner
35 years
August 21, 1987
Chelsea Gray
30 years
October 8, 1992
Courtney Vandersloot
34 years
February 8, 1989
Skylar Diggins-Smith
32 years
August 2, 1990
Jonquel Jones
29 years
January 5, 1994
Alyssa Thomas
31 years
April 12, 1992
Nneka Ogwumike
33 years
July 2, 1990
Kahleah Copper
28 years
August 28, 1994
Jewell Loyd
29 years
October 5, 1993
Tina Charles
34 years
December 5, 1988
Brittney Griner
32 years
October 18, 1990
Kelsey Plum
28 years
August 24, 1994
Emma Meesseman
30 years
May 13, 1993
Brionna Jones
27 years
December 18, 1995
Liz Cambage
31 years
August 18, 1991
Dearica Hamby
29 years
November 6, 1993
Ariel Atkins
26 years
July 30, 1996
Natasha Howard
31 years
September 2, 1991
How Much Do Wnba Players Make? - FAQ
According to NBC Sports, the average salary for 151 WNBA athletes in 2022 was $102,751. The current season has set the minimum salary at $62,285, while the top-paid players in the league are earning a maximum of $234,936, as reported by Spotrac.
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a professional basketball league in the United States that was established on April 22, 1996, as the women's equivalent of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It consists of 12 teams and began its first season of league play in 1997.
The regular season of the WNBA takes place from May to September. The All-Star game is held in July, except during Olympic years, and the WNBA Finals occur at the end of September to early October.
Among the WNBA teams, five share the same arena as their NBA counterparts. These teams are the Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, and Phoenix Mercury.
No, not all WNBA teams share an arena with an NBA team. The Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Seattle Storm, and Washington Mystics do not share an arena with an NBA team. However, four of these teams (Dream, Sky, Wings, and Mystics) share the same market as an NBA team. The Mystics and Dream play in NBA G League arenas.
No, the WNBA has independently owned-teams. The Dream, Sky, Sun, Wings, Aces, Sparks, and Storm are all independently owned. The Las Vegas Aces are owned by Mark Davis, who also owns the Las Vegas Raiders of the NFL.