The WNBA may be a league on the rise, but its players’ pay is still low.
Caitlin Clark's official entry into the league as the No. 1 overall pick bolstered the league's popularity, but it also highlighted a significant gap in pay compared to other major leagues.
Clark, for example, is expected to make $338,056 over four seasons, per Spotrac, which is an average of $84,514 per year. It's the same figure as fellow top-four picks Cameron Brink (Los Angeles Sparks), Kamilla Cardoso (Chicago Sky) and Rickea Jackson (Sparks).
For comparison's sake, San Antonio Spurs 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama is on a four-year contract worth north of $55 million, via Spotrac. And the player with the highest average NBA salary is Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic at $55.2 million.
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So, who are the WNBA's highest-paid players for the 2024 season? Here's everything to know with all figures via Spotrac:
Who is the highest-paid player in the WNBA?
In terms of average salary ranking, Las Vegas Aces star Jackie Young is alone at the top, making $252,420 a year going into 2024.
Who are the highest-paid players in the WNBA?
After Young, 20 other players make at least $200,000. In 2020, the league’s latest collective bargaining agreement bumped the possible maximum salary for the highest-paid players from $117,500 to $215,000. That CBA is slated to expire in 2027, though the WNBA Players' Association has the option to abandon that agreement after the 2024 season.
Here's the full list of the 20 players:
- Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces: $252,420
- Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm: $245,508
- Kahleah Copper, Phoenix Mercury: $245,059
- Arika Ogunwobale, Dallas Wings: $241,984
- Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury: $234,936
- Natasha Howard, Dallas Wings: $224,675
- Erica Wheeler, Indiana Fever: $222,154
- Brionna Jones, Connecticut Sun: $212,000
- Skylar Diggins-Smith, Seattle Storm: $211,343
- Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun: $209,000
- Marina Mabrey, Chicago Sky: $206,667
- Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx: $206,500
- Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever: $206,000
- Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty: $205,030
- Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty: $205,000
- Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm: $204,500
- A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces: $200,000
- DeWanna Bonner, Connecticut Sun: $200,000
- Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces: $200,000
- Ariel Atkins, Washington Mystics: $200,000
- Natasha Cloud, Phoenix Mercury: $200,000
Other notable players like Mercury's Brittney Griner ($150,000) and Aces' Candace Parker ($100,000) are outside of the top 20.
Who is the highest-paid WNBA rookie in 2024?
Four rookies are tied for the highest WNBA salary entering the 2024 season. They are the draft's top-four picks: Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever), Cameron Brink (Los Angeles Sparks), Kamilla Cardoso (Chicago Sky) and Rickea Jackson (Sparks).
Why are WNBA salaries so low?
There are multiple reasons as to why WNBA salaries lag behind other major leagues in the U.S., primarily league revenue generated, revenue sharing between league and player contracts and season length.
The NBA, for example, recently generated an estimated $10 billion for one season. The WNBA reportedly came in around $200 million for 2023, but it's a figure that has been gradually growing.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said ahead of the 2024 draft that the league is planning to expand to 16 teams by 2028, which would be one possible way to increase player salaries. Re-negotiating the CBA after the 2024 campaign could be another medium-term solution as well.
