However, some still manage to make 6 figures for their incredible performances. [The WNBA] doesnt pay my bills playing here doesnt pay my bills We make more money overseas. 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. Not only that but the maximum salary a WNBA player could earn almost doubled, from $117,500 to $215,000 in 2020, per ESPN. In 2019, prior to the new CBA, she capped out at $117,500. In February 2020, Bonner was signed and traded to the Connecticut Sun, making her eligible for supermax earnings there. weve reduced salary costs to buying wins, Top 10: Who is the Best WNBA Player of All Time? Image credit: (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images). often in parts of the world that many Americans would not want to visit themselves. Earning a second WNBA title and a second WNBA Finals MVP award. As of 2022, the league average of salaries in the WNBA is $102,751 among 151 athletes. Trayce Jackson-Davis is a senior forward for the Indiana Hoosiers, who has an NIL value of $886,000.He was a highly touted prospect out of high school, being named to the McDonalds All-American Team. Each had a salary of $228,094 for this season. This offseason, two of the league's top talents changed teams in free agency. The professional game is of an indisputably higher quality than the college game. Stephen Curry of Golden State Warriors is currently the highest paid NBA player for 2021-22 NBA season, earning around $45.7 million U.S while Lebron James, on the 4th rank earning around $41.1 dollars for 2021-22 NBA season. To make our point, we need to look at the viewership statistics of a more established womens sports league: womens college basketball. Some have argued that even with their current paltry salaries, WNBA players are overpaid. Loyd is no doubt, one of the greatest basketball player of all times. Plus, she was named to the All-First Team so she gets $10,300. If there is any change in the details, we will make the, available here. The basketball gender pay gap is significant. Since the day she was drafted, Taurasi has won three WNBA championships (2007, 2009, 2014), one WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (2009), two WNBA Finals MVP Awards (2009, 2014), four Olympic gold medals, (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016), five scoring titles (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2004), and three FIBA World Cups (2010, 2014, 2018). Skylar Diggins-Smith - $221,450. She is playing as Shooting guard for Seattle Storm. Because the WNBA is a smaller league, the 144 players on active WNBA rosters are the best 144 womens basketball players. The WNBA is a very new league, only having been founded in the late 1990s. The Mercury made it to the second round of the playoffs in 2020, but lost to the Minnesota Lynx. And made her mark immediately overseas by winning the Euroleague MVP award. Glancing over at the highest-paid players in the NBA reveals that Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has the richest annual salary at a little north of $48 million. 2023 WNBA free agency is here, the regular season is fast approaching, and our staff of writers is working hard to bring you everything you need to know about every team in the league. Duke Blue Devils vs UNC Tar Heels College Basketball Rivalry. The Phoenix Mercury boast three supermax playersand yes, one of them, at long last, is Diana Taurasi. Skylar Diggins . As they say, acandlelosesnothingbylighting another candle. 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. Eight players, including Davis, have salaries less than $10,000. She is the tallest and highest paid WNBA player. In 2021, the star signed a multiyear shoe deal with Puma that guarantees her the creation and release of her own signature sneaker. Deals can't be officially signed until Feb. 1. The minimum salary for an WNBA player with two years of service will rise from $42,728 annually to $57,000 beginning in 2020. Liz also plays for Australian and international teams during the WNBA off-season. The women's basketball players who make the most money are typically the best players in the game. While Diana no longer plays overseas, her career there was an extremely lucrative one. While it's still unknown what their new deals will look like, Parker or Stewart could join the ranks of the highest-paid players. 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! However, in order to help the Storm retain key talent in 2022, Sue took at pay cut down to a mere $72,141. Well give a quick synopsis of the economic perspective here. So she pockets an additional $11,536 for that feat. Through a sign-and-trade deal between Phoenix and Dallas (for whom she was a designated core player), point guard Diggins-Smith was able to sign a four-year supermax contract with the Mercury in February 2020. In terms of base salaries, three athletes are tied for the highest-paid player in the WNBA: Seattle Storm stars. She has helped the Storm win two championships, with the most recent coming in the 2020 'wubble'. Now that youre locked in, lets see the results. Amari Bailey is one of the highest earning college basketball players, with an NIL value of $520,000.Bailey was a top prospect in the 2022 class. Lets see which WNBA superstars have pocketed the most cash money over the past few years. These seven players will each earn a base supermax salary of $221,450 for the 2021 WNBA season. While the terms of the Nike deal remains under wraps, its estimated that she earns almost $1 million for the contract. There is simply no reason that womens college basketball should bring in more money than womens professional basketball. AP Photo/Ashley Landis Las Vegas Aces A'ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray ($196,267) A'ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray. Former Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner was cored by the Mercury the league maximum of four times, so her pursuit of a new team was inevitable. And I take my off-season and use it to explore other opportunitieslike my basketball camps. And Jay Zs company has boded well for Skylar. Although the Storm enjoyed a trip to the semifinals last season, they will have a large gap to fill with the retirement of Sue Bird. Highest-paid WNBA Players of 2022 by Total Salary Dollar figures via Spotrac based on a 2022 salary cap of $1,379,170. The 27-year-old has the 151st-ranked salary in the league at $1,607. During her enviable pro career thus far, Brittney has been a 6-time WNBA All-Star. The league minimum salary is now $58,710. 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. Meanwhile, just for reference, tennis phenom Naomi Osaka comes in at $57.3 million according to Forbes. Obviously, shes worth every penny of her (too small) WNBA income and then some! Emoni Bates is one of the highest earning college basketball players, with an NIL value of $657,000.Bates is a 610 small forward and was the fifth best player in the recruiting class of 2021.Bates originally committed to Michigan State, then rescinded his commitment to attend Memphis. Third rounders and undrafted rookies will receive . The Liberties young star point guard Sabrina Ionescu is slated to make $76,297 this upcoming season. You might find some affiliate links on our website which are part of advertisement on this website. Each year there are ten players selected to one of the two All-NBA Teams. Brittney Griners ongoing detention is Russia, This is a great book detailing the history of professional Womens basketball, The Highest WNBA salary is $228,000 while in the NBA its over $45 million. So helping everyone win higher paid overseas contracts and endorsements is actually lucrative for everyone in the long run. DeWanna Bonner comes fourth at $227,900. Who is the highest-paid player in the WNBA? Basically, knowledge is power! By looking at viewership for womens college basketball, we argue that the revenue gap between the WNBA and the NBA can be closed. Kobe Bryant became just the second player to reach $30 million when the 201314 season began. So that she wouldnt get injured and not be able to play for UMMC. If you adjust the WNBA revenue in this way, then the NBAs revenue is only 50 times the WNBAs revenue on a per team basis. The average NBA player makes about 60x as much as the average WNBA player. Therefore in the last section when we compared the average WNBA salary to the average NBA salary, we were comparing the salaries of the top 144 womens players to the salaries of the top 360 mens players. So given those facts, were going to take a stab at her endorsement income and estimate it to be at least $1.5 million. No matter what is the sport, there is always a pay gap between the mens and womens event. The 24-year-old guard made her first All-Star team last year after averaging 15.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists. Mercury G Diana Taurasi: $228,094 (WNBA max salary) Contract: 2 years, $449,544 Average annual value: $224,772 t-1. But first, lets jump into the basics for this year. Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News. Larry Bird was the first player to earn $5 million or more with a salary of $7,070,000 in the 1991-92 season. Delle Donnes highly anticipated return to competition has the W community on the edge of their seatsas the star forward has been sidelined for nearly two years now. In 2020, the top WNBA base salary was $215,000; in 2019, the top WNBA base salary was $117,500. Young is set to make $252,450 this season. Candace played overseas for 10 seasons, in Russia, Turkey and China. Get ready for the 2023 WNBA season: Save 23% on your subscription! The trajectory of our organization changed the day we drafted her 17 years ago, and we are excited she will be here into the future. The deal could be the last of Taurasis career, but we can feel relieved that she is reaping some of the benefits shes worked to sow for the next generation. Even just a small increase in income in the WNBA revenue will lead to more equitable salaries for these players who are the best of the best. As she puts it: Ive never been overseas to play. The Ace's core remains young and hungry after their first taste of winning, but can they do it again next season? Jackie Young, the highest-paid WNBA player As of February, the title of the highest-paid WNBA player belongs to Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces. Her contract salary from the club is $228,094. 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 Washington Mystics have promised her full salary despite the WNBA not awarding her a medical exemption for the season. In recent years, the popularity of the league has been increasing dramatically. Leagues in their infancy need time to expand, find their audience, and exploit their revenue streams. She has been with the Dream since she first entered the league in 2o12 after being selected 14th overall in the draft. WWE Wrestlers Who Served In Military | How It Impact Their Careers In Wrestling? Shes a 7-time blocks leader, and has won a championship with her team, the Phoenix Mercury. @megsterr. Skylar has as a very successful WNBA career playing basketball at the highest level. WNBA Highest Paid Players in 2021 Sue Bird (Seattle Storm) - $221,450 Sue Bird is one of the most recognizable names in basketball and a WNBA staple for nearly two decades. Absolutely, she said. And we added in prior overseas play. In celebration, Mercury GM Jim Pitman emphasized the obvious: [Diana] is the heart of our franchise, the first face on our Mount Rushmore, the best winner and competitor in the womens game. She signed a two year $463,030 contract last offseason, giving her an annual salary of $231,515. And shesignedon to exclusively wear LeBron Jamessignatureline on court. The third highest salary on the 2022 championship Las Vegas Aces roster was all-star guard Kelsey Plum. Enmanuel, who was born with no left arm, is from the Dominican Republic and attends Northwestern State University. [5] Finally, the rookie player exception allows any NBA team to sign their first-round draft pick to a contract based upon a scale previously set forth by the NBA. She started playing in China in her rookie season. The minimum NBA salary is just over $1 million per year while the highest paid WNBA player in the current season is around $230,000. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. If you buy something from a link on our site, Queen Ballers Club may earn a commission. What is the league average of salaries in the WNBA? Hansel Enmanuel is the highest-earning college basketball player with an NIL value of $1.5 million. 2021 WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper sits at the top of the Sky's salary cap, earning $200,000 annually. According to 201011 NBA season game performance, the league's best players were not its highest-paid players. 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. This is over half of the average viewership for an average NFL game, the undisputed king of American sports from a viewership and revenue perspective. 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. The WNBA's minimum for a player with zero to two years of experience is $58,710, while vets with three or more years of experience earn a minimum of $70,040. She is holding the most ludicrous contract deal with WNBAs club. If the leagues popularity continues to increase as it is, the average WNBA salary will follow suit. Jay Swingler vs Nicholai Perrett Purse Payouts | How Much Both Earn from PPV Money? In high school, Stewart was the National Gatorade Player of the Year, the Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year, and a McDonald's All-American. Plus Skylars additional endorsements and her work as a Phoenix Suns broadcasts as analyst, altogether which weve guess-timated to be near $500,000. Before we get started, lets set some ground rules: We used 2022 salaries to date as the springboard for our rankings. This season, Bonner will earn $221,450. It isnt a surprise nor is it controversial that mens professional sports draw more attention and revenue and therefore the players are paid more. Brittney signed a lucrative endorsement deal with Nike seven years ago in her rookie year. Tiffany Hayes ($215,000) is the highest-paid player for the Atlanta Dream for the second consecutive year. In the afterglow of a hard-fought championship, 2019 WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne re-signed with the Washington Mystics in the 2020 offseason to a well-deserved supermax deal. So its no wonder shes amongst the seven players who top the list in annual salary. She pulls in almost $1 million per season abroad, which far outweighs her top-dollar WNBA salary. In addition to Roc Nation, Skylar also has deals with Sprint and Nike. But award money calculations are based off of 2020 results. And they might feel threatened to share their salary information with peers who they feel they are competing for dollars with. All-star guard Jewell Loyd became the highest paid WNBA player after resigning with the Seattle Storm before last season. Who is the lowest-paid player in the WNBA? Subscribe to get the latest articles first. In 2022, shell make $227,900 from her Phoenix Mercury contract. Bates has been compared to all time great players such as Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Also Who is the lowest paid WNBA player? Known for her amazing ability to win championships (she has four WNBA titles under her belt) as well as accolades too numerous to mention (okay, well mention that shes the all-time WNBA assists leader and an 11-time All-Star, to name just two), the superstar point guard has started in 508 games. See the highest and lowest player salaries in the NBA on ESPN.com. The problem is that the WNBA needs to gain footing with networks and advertisers. Here is Spotrac.com's top 10 list of highest-paid WNBA players by average annual value. Stewart was the first overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft and was named the 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year. 1. The LA Sparks, who lost superstars Parker and Gray in the offseason, will pay Kristi Toliver andWNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike max salaries of $190,550 each this year. Breannas team, the Seattle Storm, won the 2020 WNBA Championship. In the NBA world, weve reduced salary costs to buying wins. Who Are the Highest-Paid College Basketball Players Right Now. Skylar Kierra Diggins-Smith (born August 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Speaking about the deal, Breanna said that its bigger than basketball, and that she hopes to have a lasting impact on her younger fans. Salaries will continue to rise in the years to come, as the WNBA's salary cap will increase by three percent annually. To supplement her WNBA income, Sue has played overseas during the WNBA off-season for much of her storied career. As we dive into the salaries of WNBA players, however, the difference is stark. Check out the highest-paid player on each WNBA team for the 2022 campaign below: Dallas Wings Moriah Jefferson ($180,200) Moriah Jefferson. Top highest paid NBA players in 2021. . Here are the complete details about the top 10 highest paid WNBA players in the world along with their salaries and contracts. 1-4 in the 2022 WNBA Draft, the base salary is expected to be $72,141 in year one. We may earn some commission if you were to buy something via our affiliate links, Top 10 Most Selling Football Boots In The World | Nike Mercurial Vapor Tops The List As Used By Ronaldo, Mbappe & Neymar, Top 10 Most Expensive Injuries In Football, The Best Apps/Websites to Watch MF & DAZN X Series 005 Live Online | 5 March 2023, The Best Apps/Websites To Watch Jay Swingler vs Nicholai Perrett Live Online | 5 March 2023.