For the 2021-2022 NBA season, the NBA's rookie minimum sat at $925,000 just about four times the average annual salary of the WNBA's highest-paid player. In addition to their WNBA yearly salaries, there are other variables in the equation: endorsement deals, overseas contracts, and merit bonuses awarded to each player based on their individual and team achievements. Subscribe to get the latest articles first. The third highest salary on the 2022 championship Las Vegas Aces roster was all-star guard Kelsey Plum. 2021 WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper sits at the top of the Sky's salary cap, earning $200,000 annually. In this article well list a few reasons and statistics why we think the average WNBA salary is lower than it should be. Stewart is currently having an expensive contract deal with Seattle Storm. And famously sat out the WNBA 2015-2016 season. Here are the complete details about the top 10 highest paid WNBA players in the world along with their salaries and contracts. The $898,700 contract Natasha Howard signed the following year ranks fourth all-time. The current record-holder for most points scored in a WNBA game an astonishing 53 points! Basketball icon Sue Bird, who plays for the Storm in what is her last season before retiring, is making the same amount as thats also the leagues veteran minimum salary. In addition to Roc Nation, Skylar also has deals with Sprint and Nike. She is holding the most ludicrous contract deal with WNBAs club. Young is set to make $252,450 this season.. Hansel Enmanuel. Candace played overseas for 10 seasons, in Russia, Turkey and China. The Washington Mystics have promised her full salary despite the WNBA not awarding her a medical exemption for the season. Basically, knowledge is power! Meanwhile, just for reference, tennis phenom Naomi Osaka comes in at $57.3 million according to Forbes. And approximate what some of them might have made during a peak playing year. The lowest paid player for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2020-21 NBA season is Daniel Oturu who will be paid a guaranteed $898,310. 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. Chelsea Gray is a hardened veteran, and one of the best shotmakers in the league. At the end of the day, salaries have to be related to revenue. The highest paid WNBA player in 2022 is every hooper making the $228,094 supermax which includes Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, and Jewell Loyd. She has 1.2 million followers across all platforms.Johnson has endorsement deals with HighlightHER, Puma, Meta, Taco Bell, and POWERHANDZ.Johnson is also a rapper who announced her commitment to LSU in her own song. [4] Next, the bi-annual exception can be used by teams every other year to sign a free agent(s) for up to two years at an amount set by the NBA. Eight players, including Davis, have salaries less than $10,000. She played college basketball at Notre Dame. 20 Highest Paid WNBA Players 1. She's a sensational player. Maybe they should play one on one? To me, this says that viewers are interested in watching womens sports. 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. Before we get started, lets set some ground rules: We used 2022 salaries to date as the springboard for our rankings. In 2021, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner, Skylar Diggins-Smith, DeWanna Bonner, and Liz Cambage were the highest paid WBNA players. And she was the WNBA Finals MVP (which probably doesnt get the $15,450 the season MVP gets). Another 11 players, seven of whom are the highest earners on their respective teams, will command $200,000 or more this year. While it's still unknown what their new deals will look like, Parker or Stewart could join the ranks of the highest-paid players. Patrick Ewing became the first player to earn $15 million or more in the 95-96 season with a salary of $18,724,000. It isnt a surprise nor is it controversial that mens professional sports draw more attention and revenue and therefore the players are paid more. The Phoenix Mercury point guard also earned the title of having the most All-WNBA First Team honors a total of 10! Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and UMMC Ekaterinburg of Russia. Highest Paid WNBA Players 5 - Skylar Diggins Smith 4 - DeWanna Bonner 3 - Elena Delle Donne 2 - Breanna Stewart 1 - Jewell Loyd Top 10 Highest Paid WNBA Players Women National Basketball Association is the top tier league which gave a new turn to basketball world by providing opportunity to female athletes to show their talent. Derek Brunson vs Dricus Du Plessis Purse Payouts | How Much Both Earn from Potential Bonus Money? She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. 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. However, in order to help the Storm retain key talent in 2022, Sue took at pay cut down to a mere $72,141. Jewell Loyd - 228,094 dollars. In June 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that the NCAA was no longer allowed to prevent education-related payments to students, which changed college sports forever.This paved the way for NIL deals, which allowed college athletes to profit on their own name, image, and likeness through endorsements and brand deals.A combination of a strong social media following off the court, and good play on the court can result in players receiving millions of dollars in NIL deals per season. Womens sports events have demonstrated their mass-market appeal, and thus monetary potential, on multiple occasionsIn sports where mens and womens games have relatively equal marketing support, their commercial impact has been roughly equivalent. And wed like to see as much of that money as possible go into our players pockets. Plus Skylars additional endorsements and her work as a Phoenix Suns broadcasts as analyst, altogether which weve guess-timated to be near $500,000. She signed a two year $463,030 contract last offseason, giving her an annual salary of $231,515. True W fans know that Elena Delle Donne has been one of the top earners in the W for a hot minute, and it's well deserved. She has 1 million followers on Instagram, 465,000 on TikTok, and 77,000 on Twitter.She is expected to be a top pick in the WNBA Draft, whenever she declares. Liz also plays for Australian and international teams during the WNBA off-season. Hansel Enmanuel is the highest-earning college basketball player with an NIL value of $1.5 million. She led the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies to four national championships, was named the Final Four's most outstanding player a record four times, and was a three-time consensus national player of the year. The NBA salary cap is the maximum dollar amount each NBA team can spend on its players for the season. 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. Breanna Stewart has signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia for 2020, and will return to EuroLeague play this season. Hansel Enmanuel is the highest-earning college basketball player with an NIL value of $1.5 million.Enmanuel, who was born with no left arm, is from the Dominican Republic and attends Northwestern State University.He amassed 1.6 million Instagram followers, and 2.7 million TikTok followers, much from his high school basketball highlight videos going viral.Fans across the world were inspired by Enmanuels story as well as his ridiculous athletic ability. In professional leagues as we stated above that number was 120 times. Who are the highest paid WNBA players in 2022? She is currently recovering from a torn ACL. And has had deals with State Farm and American Express in the past. often in parts of the world that many Americans would not want to visit themselves. Bueckers has endorsement deals with Crocs, Nerf, Bose, Gatorade, and StockX. Now onto the highest paid WNBA players of all time. Parker was an All-Star at age 36 last year after posting averages of 13.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists across 32 games. In Australia, she currently plays for the Southside Flyers. But first, lets jump into the basics for this year. When asked if overseas money was life-changing by60 Minutes,Sue Birdsaid it was for her. She pulls in almost $1 million per season abroad, which far outweighs her top-dollar WNBA salary. Kobe Bryant became just the second player to reach $30 million when the 201314 season began. Where shell make another $100,000 for training in the United States during the WNBA off-season. Diana Taurasi - 228.094 dollars. Plus, she was named to the 2020 All-WNBA First team, which added $10,300 in merit bonus cash to her wallet. Hopefully Elena Delle Donne can return to 100% in the near future. In 2020, she let the league know she was back in business after her achilles injury. NBA players get paid more because their league makes more money, full stop. The 27-year-old has the 151st-ranked salary in the league at $1,607. Who is the highest-paid player in the WNBA? Last season Loyd averaged 17.9 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals, earning her All-WNBA First team honors. Her contract salary from the club is $228,094. And add that to her bank. 1-4 in the 2022 WNBA Draft, the base salary is expected to be $72,141 in year one. WNBA stars Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, and Jewell Loyd earn the most money in the WNBA, putting them among the highest paid athletes of all time. Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is set to earn a highest base salary in 2022-23 at $48.07 million. After spending the past two years in her hometown of Chicago, the two-time MVP decided to sign with the reigning champs in Las Vegas. He has deals with Dollar Shave Club, Walkers Furniture, Goli Nutrition, and Preediction. Magic Johnson became the first player to earn $10 million or more in the 94-95 season with a salary of $14,660,000. NBA Player Salaries - 2022-2023 . Cynthia Lynne Cooper-Dyke - UB-Barca, CREFF. In 2021, her Las Vegas Aces salary was $221,450. 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. Another option for teams would be to assign players to a league-assigned minimum salary contract for a maximum of two years. We did not include revenue sharing in our calculations, which jumped from the current 20 percent to 50 percent in 2021 per the recent CBA, assuming the stipulations were met. Speaking about the deal, Breanna said that its bigger than basketball, and that she hopes to have a lasting impact on her younger fans. 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. To make our point, we need to look at the viewership statistics of a more established womens sports league: womens college basketball. Sue is also a part of Team USA. She was named the WNBA MVP in 2018 and was named. The professional game is of an indisputably higher quality than the college game. Previously, she played for Shanghai Baoshun Dahua in Chinas WCBA since the 2016-17 season. She was drafted first overall in the 2015 WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm. Basketball is also no exception and women players receive much low worthy contracts as compared to men. Be the first one to comment on this story. Drew Timme is a star forward for the Gonzaga Bulldogs mens basketball team, who has an NIL value of $912,000.He is in his senior season at Gonzaga, and has had quite the career with the Bulldogs. Do the math (well take an average 2019 salary of WNBA players at nearly $75,000). The highest paid player this season is, you guessed itJewell Loyd. Knocked out in the second round of the playoffs, the Phoenix Mercury, Skylars current team, earned her a team bonus of $1,803. The league minimum salary is now $58,710. From my perspective, the gender pay gap in basketball is attributable to the WNBA being a new league and not achieving the viewership it is capable of. But we can assume its a good amount. Also Who is the lowest paid WNBA player? And throughout her enviable career, shes been named a WNBA All-Star four times. A Quick History of WNBA Profitability. With the 2021 WNBA season tipping off Friday, we took a look at the league's highest-paid players. Stay tuned for more information! The duo of Stewart and Loyd have earned their spots not only as some of the top players in the W, but they are both tied for the number two spot in the list of top WNBA earners at $228,094. 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. Some athletes have performed magnificently and managed signing ludicrous contracts. Flau'jae Johnson is one of the highest earning college basketball players, with an NIL value of $612,000.Johnson is a freshman standout, combo-guard, at Louisiana State University. Due to injuries and other factors, Sue hasnt played overseas since 2014. Winner gets $1 to break the tie. (66 kg) Skylar Diggins-Smith is a WNBA standout who receives a salary of $221,450, making her one of the four highest-paid WNBA players in the league. Breanna earns approximately $1.5 million per season overseas reported ESPN. There is simply no reason that womens college basketball should bring in more money than womens professional basketball. Where she made 10-20 times more than her WNBA salary! Young was the Aces' first overall pick in 2019 and has been critical for the reigning WNBA champions. While her endorsement pay (including TV commercials) has been kept private, well take a modest estimate of $250,000. The problem is just that the WNBA isnt pushed as well as it could be. Haley Cavinder is one of the highest earning college basketball players with an NIL value of $842,000.Just like her twin sister Hanna, Haley is a senior point guard at the University of Miami. The Mercury made it to the second round of the playoffs in 2020, but lost to the Minnesota Lynx. In 2017 she was inducted into the Women Basketball Hall of Fame. 7. Enmanuel famously has commercials with both Gatorade, and J. Coles Puma collaboration named Dreamer.. But get this: the average viewership for a womens NCAA tournament game is about 600,000. Kidding. Diggins was drafted third overall by the Tulsa Shock in the 2013 WNBA draft. How Much Does A College Basketball Coach Make? Jewell Loyd, G, Seattle Storm; $231,515 2. The Liberties young star point guard Sabrina Ionescu is slated to make $76,297 this upcoming season. Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News. But the reality is, the more brands that pump money into womens sports, the more the sport is going to thrive. Paige Bueckers is one of the highest earning college basketball players, with an NIL value of $822,000.Bueckers, a junior, is a star guard at the University of Connecticut. Loyd was the first overall pick in 2015 after an illustrious career at Notre Dame, going to two national championship games. WNBA stars Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, andJewell Loyd earn the most money in the WNBA, puttingthemamongthe highest paid athletesof all time. Overall, the average annual salaries in the NBA are much higher than in the WNBA. . In 2019, prior to the new CBA, she capped out at $117,500. [1] LeBron James became the third in the 201617 season. In this list we examine the top 10 highest paid college basketball players as of February 2023. Most Expensive UFC Fighters Contracts Deals. 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. However, we think the discrepancy is larger than it should be based on viewership and appetite for womens professional sports. She is a player, many teams want to have in their books. Its a bit of a mystery how much money Sue makes for her sponsorship deals. Now that youre locked in, lets see the results. In Dianas 17-year career, shes broken WNBA records and has attained a plethora of accolades including being a 3-time WNBA champion. Here are the top 10: 1 . To supplement her WNBA income, Sue has played overseas during the WNBA off-season for much of her storied career. Next on the list of the highest paid WNBA player in the world is DeWanna Bonner. This offseason, two of the league's top talents changed teams in free agency. It isnt the WNBAs fault necessarily; networks are wary of showing and advertising for games they think will be less profitable. And made her mark immediately overseas by winning the Euroleague MVP award. While the details of her Roc Nation deal havent been divulged, its Sports President, Juan Perez, says that Skylar has earned far more than if shed played abroad. weve reduced salary costs to buying wins, Top 10: Who is the Best WNBA Player of All Time? In the NBA world, weve reduced salary costs to buying wins. Who is the highest-paid WNBA player in 2023? 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. 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. She started playing in China in her rookie season. All-star guard Jewell Loyd became the highest paid WNBA player after resigning with the Seattle Storm before last season. Image credit: (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images). Phoenix Mercuryteammates Skylar Diggins-Smithand Brittany Grinerarenot far behind on therichest woman basketballplayers list. In the NBA, the same ratio is about 4.7. Earlier, we pointed out that the WNBA is a young league. Heres to hoping and praying we see her on the court this year. According to Spotrac, DeWanna Bonner, Elena Delle Donne and Skylar Diggins-Smith, each signed the richest contract in WNBA history in 2020, worth $899,480 over four years. This will lead to an increase in the average WNBA salary. Breanna Stewart - 228.094 dollars. Skylar has as a very successful WNBA career playing basketball at the highest level. Putting $5,150 in Skylars pocket. 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. 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. While Jackie Young is the WNBA's highest-paid player right now, she might be forced to relinquish that title soon. Our overall argument is not only that today, right now WNBA players should be paid more. Yahoo! Once that happens, WNBA salaries will reach the place where they should be for the entertainment value they are capable of providing. DeWanna Bonner, Elena Delle Donne and Skylar Diggins-Smith aren't far behind. As of 2022, the league average of salaries in the WNBA is $102,751 among 151 athletes.