Salaries and salary equity a constant point of conversation around the WNBA and with more eyeballs than ever on the league for the 2024 WNBA season, that's unlikely to change. Even the highest-paid players in the WNBA make far less than a minimum contract in the NBA. There are myriad reasons for this, some understandable, some considerably less so.
The most recent WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, which took effect in 2020 and runs through 2027, did make significant improvement in player compensation. Per a joint press release from the WNBA and WNBPA at the time of ratification:
"Foremost among the deal terms is a 53 percent increase in total cash compensation, consisting of base salary, additional performance bonuses, prize pools for newly created in-season competitions, and league and team marketing deals. Under the new CBA, the league’s top players will be able to earn cash compensation in excess of $500,000, representing a more than tripling of the maximum compensation under the prior deal. Other top players will have an opportunity to earn between $200,000 and $300,000. And for the first time in WNBA history, the average cash compensation for players will exceed six figures, averaging nearly $130,000, resulting in an increase for all players from rookies to veterans."
The WNBA's current broadcast deals expire in 2025 and, with the growing attention the league is garnering, revenue generated could as much as double. It won't happen instantly but bigger salaries for WNBA players are on the way. But for now, here are the highest-paid players in the league.
Top WNBA salaries for the 2024 season
PLAYER | TEAM | 2024 WNBA SALARY |
|---|---|---|
T-1. Jewell Loyd | SEA | $241,984 |
T-1. Kahleah Copper | PHX | $241,984 |
T-1. Arike Ogunbowale | DAL | $241,984 |
4. Diana Taurasi | PHX | $234,936 |
5. Natasha Howard | DAL | $234,350 |
6. Alyssa Thomas | CON | $218,000 |
T-7. Brionna Jones | CON | $212,000 |
T-7. Kelsey Mitchell | IND | $212,000 |
T-9. Napheesa Collier | MIN | $208,219 |
T-9. Skylar Diggins-Smith | SEA | $208,219 |
T-11. Kayla McBride | MIN | $208,000 |
T-11. Marina Mabrey | CHI | $208,000 |
13. Breanna Stewart | NYL | $205,000 |
14. Nneka Ogwumike | SEA | $204,500 |
15. Erica Wheeler | IND | $202,154 |
16. Sabrina Ionescu | NYL | $202,000 |
I cut the list off at 16 because it gets messy after that, with six players tied for the next spot at $200,000 — A'ja Wilson, Ariel Atkins, Cheyenne Parker, DeWanna Bonner, Kelsey Plum and Natasha Cloud. It's also important to remember that these figures, courtesy of Spotrac, are base salaries and don't include incentives, bonuses or prize winnings, like the $30,000 that go to every player on the Commissioner's Cup-winning team.
If you're curious about Caitlin Clark, she signed a four-year, $338,056 million dollar deal that will pay her $76,535 this season, the same as the rest of the top-four picks in this year's WNBA Draft — Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso and Rickea Jackson. That salary is of course dwarfed by the eight-year, $28 million contract she signed with Nike.