DeWanna Bonner spent 10 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, and in that time, she became one of the WNBA's superstars. Hansel Enmanuel is the highest-earning college basketball player with an NIL value of $1.5 million. As she puts it: Ive never been overseas to play. Each player is making the supermax salary of $228,094. A recent New York Times article talks about how Paige Bueckers is waiting to go pro because there is more money in college basketball than in womens professional basketball. Some of the WNBA's biggest stars are currently free agents in search of new contracts, including Breanna Stewart andCourtney Vandersloot. How much a WNBA rookies makes depends on where she was drafted. Magic Johnson became the first player to earn $10 million or more in the 94-95 season with a salary of $14,660,000. The highest-paid WNBA player makes 22.8 percent of what Hammon does. The WNBA may be following a similar trajectory. So she will now receive close to $100,000 to train for United States. To receive email updates when new articles are posted, use the subscription form below! For the first few years of the leagues history, it was so unpopular that the NBA had to subsidize the operating cost of their female counterpart. Winner gets $1 to break the tie. In 2021, the star signed a multiyear shoe deal with Puma that guarantees her the creation and release of her own signature sneaker. It isnt a surprise nor is it controversial that mens professional sports draw more attention and revenue and therefore the players are paid more. And the viewership is increasing rapidly. She is currently recovering from a torn ACL. Shes also won a championship with the Los Angeles Sparks, for whom she was the first-round pick in 2008. However, we think the discrepancy is larger than it should be based on viewership and appetite for womens professional sports. Kobe Bryant became just the second player to reach $30 million when the 201314 season began. Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi, Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd and Seattle forward Breanna Stewart are the highest-paid players in the WNBA,. Three franchises the Dallas Wings, Los Angeles Sparks, and Las Vegas Aces do not have a single player taking home $200,000 or more this season. He amassed 1.6 million Instagram followers, and 2.7 million TikTok followers, much from his high school basketball highlight videos going viral. For picks No. Who is the highest-paid WNBA player in 2023? In 2020, the leagues latest collective bargaining agreement bumped the maximum salary for the highest-paid players from $117,500 to $215,000. This means that not only is the average WNBA salary lower than it should be, the top tier female athletes are underpaid! And she was the WNBA Finals MVP (which probably doesnt get the $15,450 the season MVP gets). But she recently signed deals with life insurance company Symetra (along with her life partner, Megan Rapinoe). And throughout her enviable career, shes been named a WNBA All-Star four times. Because the WNBA is a smaller league, the 144 players on active WNBA rosters are the best 144 womens basketball players. Chelsea Gray is a hardened veteran, and one of the best shotmakers in the league. Not only did she win regular season MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, but her team won the Commissioners Cup and the WNBA Finals. Surprise! Thus, looking at average salaries biases the argument in favor of the men! No matter what is the sport, there is always a pay gap between the mens and womens event. Which Colleges Have Had The Most NBA Players? In 2022, the highest paid WNBA players are Breanna Stewart, DeWanna Bonner, Jewell Loyd, Elena Delle Donne, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Brittney Griner, and Diana Taurasi. And to top it off, shes earned four Olympic gold medals which makes it easy to say that, as a basketball player, shes earned her weight in gold. The average salary for a professional basketball player (NBA) is about 5.15 Million per year, MLB (baseball) 3.2 Million yearly, NHL (Hockey) 2.4 Million, NFL (Football) 1.9 Million yearly. Leagues in their infancy need time to expand, find their audience, and exploit their revenue streams. Zach Edey, a center for the Purdue Boilermakers, is another of the highest-earning college basketball players, with an NIL value of $811,000.Edey, a junior, currently has 28,000 followers on Instagram, 325 on TikTok, and 6,300 on Twitter.Edey currently has NIL deals with Purdue, who have released merchandise with his number and made him a member of the Boilermaker Alliance, but he does not have any other current NIL deals. Elena Delle Donne is making around $224,870 this year from contract salaries. The salary cap is determined during the offseason, but as stated earlier, it is liable to change.[2]. Elena. The point of this exercise is to counter the myth that we cant afford to pay high salaries to WNBA players because the league just doesnt make any money. For picks 5-8, the rookie base salary drops to $69,224. Would you be willing to send a $5 tip to our Venmo tip jar because it helps support this site and our reporting? Kidding. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Delle Donne, a longtime Lyme disease patient, elected to sit out the 2020 season due to her susceptibility to the virus. Now, because the average WNBA player makes 56 times as much as NBA players, the pay gap becomes clearer. Viviane Araujo vs Amanda Ribas Purse Payouts | How Much Both Earn from PPV Money & Bonuses? While the terms of the Nike deal remains under wraps, its estimated that she earns almost $1 million for the contract. Chicago Sky | F/C | 6-foot-4; 2020 stats: 14.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 4.6 APG; Parker's move from Los Angeles, the team that drafted her first in 2008 . You might find some affiliate links on our website which are part of advertisement on this website. WNBA stars Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, andJewell Loyd earn the most money in the WNBA, puttingthemamongthe highest paid athletesof all time. And approximate what some of them might have made during a peak playing year. According to Spotrac, Jewell Loyd and Arike Ogunbowale are currently set to be the highest-paid WNBA players in the 2023 season, with each of them earning $234,936. With all these ancillary ways to make money, Dianas WNBA salary is just a drop in the bucket! Skylar has as a very successful WNBA career playing basketball at the highest level. All these are the details about the top 10 highest paid WNBA players along with their contract salary and net worth. Third rounders and undrafted rookies will receive . The WNBA may be a league on the rise, but its players pay is low. Also, there was no 2020 All-Star game, which wouldve netted players chosen a bonus of $2,575. Jessica Penne vs Tabatha Ricci Purse Payouts | How Much Both Earn from PPV Money at UFC 285? Since the early 2010s, WNBA teams have turned profits without resorting to subsidies. , heres a breakdown of how much rookies drafted in 2022 made this season: According to Spotrac, Rhyne Howard, NaLyssa Smith, Shakira Austin and Emily Engstler, the top four picks in 2022, all have salaries of $72,141. In 2021, her Las Vegas Aces salary was $221,450. Overall, the average annual salaries in the NBA are much higher than in the WNBA. In 2020, the top WNBA base salary was $215,000; in 2019, the top WNBA base salary was $117,500. Each had a salary of $228,094 for this season. Since then, she is leading a glorious career. To me, this says that viewers are interested in watching womens sports. In the WNBA world, the story on everyones mind is Brittney Griners ongoing detention is Russia. According to Spotrac, Jewell Loyd and Arike Ogunbowale are currently set to be the highest-paid WNBA players in the 2023 season, with each of them earning $234,936. The Phoenix Mercury boast three supermax playersand yes, one of them, at long last, is Diana Taurasi. She pulls in almost $1 million per season abroad, which far outweighs her top-dollar WNBA salary. The minimum salary for an WNBA player with two years of service will rise from $42,728 annually to $57,000 beginning in 2020. This is not dissimilar to the history of the NBA, just many years later. She has 763,000 followers across all platforms, including 673,000 on Instagram.Van Lith has endorsement deals with Adidas, 94 Feet of Game App, Billionaire Girls Club, Dicks Sporting Goods, and The Shaquille ONeal Foundation. In 2020, the Women's National Basketball Association came to termson a new collective bargaining agreement that included significant salary bumps. NBA Player Salaries - 2022-2023 . I'm being paid same as Pistons' Jackson; The mens college basketball tournament is no joke, it is one of the premier sporting events of the year. All-star guard Jewell Loyd became the highest paid WNBA player after resigning with the Seattle Storm before last season. And add that to her bank. In 2017 she was inducted into the Women Basketball Hall of Fame. Who is the highest-paid player in the WNBA? Up next, check out the rest of our WNBA salary series, with the lowest paid WNBA players. The second highest earner on the Aces is two-time league MVP A'ja Wilson. Plum remains a seminal piece for the Aces, as they regularly look at her to break interior defenders and draw fouls on opposing defenses. Subscribe to get the latest articles first. Since Sues team, the Seattle Storm, won the 2020 WNBA Championship, each player pockets an additional $11,536 for that feat. Enmanuel, who was born with no left arm, is from the Dominican Republic and attends Northwestern State University. But get this: the average viewership for a womens NCAA tournament game is about 600,000. A Quick History of WNBA Profitability. Liz also plays for Australian and international teams during the WNBA off-season. Another 11 players, seven of whom are the highest earners on their respective teams, will command $200,000 or more this year. Speaking about the deal, Breanna said that its bigger than basketball, and that she hopes to have a lasting impact on her younger fans. While it's still unknown what their new deals will look like, Parker or Stewart could join the ranks of the highest-paid players. The highest player topping our list in total earnings ever is Candace Parker whos at $5.7 million per year. In addition to Roc Nation, Skylar also has deals with Sprint and Nike. A New Approach to Mathematical Sports Analytics. The problem is that the WNBA needs to gain footing with networks and advertisers. If you buy something from a link on our site, Queen Ballers Club may earn a commission. She is a player, many teams want to have in their books. 2023 Salary: $234,350. As a five star recruit Bailey chose UCLA over a multitude of other schools. She is playing as Shooting guard for Seattle Storm. Here is Spotrac.com's top 10 list of highest-paid WNBA players by average annual value. Deals can't be officially signed until Feb. 1. Outside of Young, other names on the list of the highest-paid WNBA players include Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings, Jewell Loyd of the Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury guard Skylar Diggins. One way to evaluate how well professional womens basketball players are paid is to look at how the WNBA salaries compare to the total income of the league. There is a significant appetite for professional womens sports. She played college basketball at Notre Dame. She has 687,000 followers on TikTok and 382,000 followers on Instagram, commanding one of the biggest social media followings in all of college sports.Mastrov has deals with Neutrogena, Afterpay, and Quizlet. It will be interesting to see what the Storm can accomplished with an even larger role carved out for Jewell Loyd. The average WNBA salary is $128,000 in the 2021 season. 20 Highest Paid WNBA Players 1. He has deals with Dollar Shave Club, Walkers Furniture, Goli Nutrition, and Preediction. The problem is just that the WNBA isnt pushed as well as it could be. Hammon was an assistant coach for the NBA's San Antonio Spurs for eight seasons before making the leap to become a head coach in the WNBA. Who is the highest-paid WNBA player? Young was the Aces' first overall pick in 2019 and has been critical for the reigning WNBA champions. Im ready to have next summer off and focus on getting a European contract where [its] 10 seasons here worth the pay. Enmanuel famously has commercials with both Gatorade, and J. Coles Puma collaboration named Dreamer.. As we dive into the salaries of WNBA players, however, the difference is stark. Seems like the top spots are dominated by the Connecticut Suns and Seattle Storm huh? Some have argued that even with their current paltry salaries, WNBA players are overpaid. Highest-paid WNBA Players of 2022 by Total Salary Dollar figures via Spotrac based on a 2022 salary cap of $1,379,170. She also has 4.2 million TikTok followers, making her one of the most followed collegiate athletes in the United States.Haley, like her sister, has endorsement deals with Under Armour, Raising Canes, Intuit TurboTax, and Victoria's Secret PINK. Who is the lowest-paid player in the WNBA? The WNBA is a very new league, only having been founded in the late 1990s. In 2020, she let the league know she was back in business after her achilles injury. But the reality is, the more brands that pump money into womens sports, the more the sport is going to thrive. According to 201011 NBA season game performance, the league's best players were not its highest-paid players. Who is the highest paid WNBA player in the world right now? Loyd was the first overall pick in 2015 after an illustrious career at Notre Dame, going to two national championship games. During her enviable pro career thus far, Brittney has been a 6-time WNBA All-Star. Elsewhere around the league, star players are enjoying new lucrative contracts. Patrick Ewing became the first player to earn $15 million or more in the 95-96 season with a salary of $18,724,000. Earning a second WNBA title and a second WNBA Finals MVP award. But first, lets jump into the basics for this year. While we have cited some numbers above that indicate that players in the W are underpaid even relative to current revenue, the point is that the leagues revenue is not where it should be. She is proficient at getting to her spot and knocking down jumpers at the most crucial moments. Who is the highest-paid player in the WNBA? The league minimum salary is now $58,710. She scored again by being selected to the 2020 All-WNBA Second Team, adding a bonus of $5,150 to her pay. Because after the NBAs Kyrie Irving saw her wearing his shoes, he told Nike, Okay, yeah, give her whatever she wants. So, well factor in another $2,000,000 into her income for good measure! And did we mention that shes also the leagues all-time highest scorer? Highest-paid active WNBA players. She will earn a base salary of $228,094 next season. In 2022, Candace will make $195,000 from her WNBA contract. Shaqir ONeal is one of the highest earning college basketball players with an NIL value of $1.1 million.Son of legendary NBA center, Shaquille ONeal, Shaqir is a freshman at Texas Southern University. In 2020, the leagues, Heres everything you need to know about salaries in the WNBA (all numbers via. With new coaches, a stacked rookie class, and an abundance of superstars across the league's 12 teams, the WNBA's 26th season is poised to be one of the most exciting yet. Net Worth: $400,000 WNBA Team: Phoenix Mercury Position: Point Guard Height: 5 ft. 9 in (1.75 m) Weight: 145 lbs. We have three points and reasons why we think the average WNBA salary and the league revenue as a whole is set to explode.