To that point, Taurasis most recent contract was negotiated under the previous CBA, leaving her criminally underpaid. 20 Highest Paid WNBA Players 1. Shes been named league MVP twice, has been an All-Star 5 times, including being named the All-Star MVP in 2013. When comparing college leagues, the men draw about 15 times more viewers than the women. That is a lot of money , especially compared to what teachers get paid. To make our point, we need to look at the viewership statistics of a more established womens sports league: womens college basketball. 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). Where shell make another $100,000 for training in the United States during the WNBA off-season. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. In 2022, shell make $227,900 from her Phoenix Mercury contract. Candace also has a lucrative contract as an NBA analyst for Turner Sports. , 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. Jewell Loyd, G, Seattle Storm; $231,515 2. 2021 WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper sits at the top of the Sky's salary cap, earning $200,000 annually. The Ace's core remains young and hungry after their first taste of winning, but can they do it again next season? Skylar Diggins-Smith. Speaking about the deal, Breanna said that its bigger than basketball, and that she hopes to have a lasting impact on her younger fans. Data provided by HighPostHoops.com 2023 Average Rankings This is a great book detailing the history of professional Womens basketball. The WNBA is a very new league, only having been founded in the late 1990s. She is a player, many teams want to have in their books. She is one of only 11 women to attain all four accolades. Plus Skylars additional endorsements and her work as a Phoenix Suns broadcasts as analyst, altogether which weve guess-timated to be near $500,000. Be the first one to comment on this story. She has helped the Storm win two championships, with the most recent coming in the 2020 'wubble'. In 2021, she signed a new contract with the Vegas Aces on a one-year agreement of $221,450. And Diana and Sue Bird were instrumental in seeing to it that members of Team USA were paid decent wages for their training. 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. Hansel Enmanuel is the highest earning college basketball player with an NIL value of $1.5 million. To get to the WNBAlevel,hoopersmust train relentlessly, compete at the highest level, andwin games. Also Who is the lowest paid WNBA player? The WNBA is on the precipice of a sharp inflection point where the total league revenue will explode and the average WNBA salary can finally increase to where it should be. The problem is that the WNBA needs to gain footing with networks and advertisers. The Suns have clear championship expectations and Bonner will have to play at an elite level if they want to win their first chip. Shes made our list for all the other money shes raked in beyond being a WNBA rock star. Another big name to move in free agency was Breanna Stewart. 1. Plus, she was named to the All-First Team so she gets $10,300. Michael Jordan was the first NBA player to sign a contract worth over $20 million and in fact it exceeded $30 million as well in a season (1996-97) and (1997-98) where he earned $33,140,000; this was a record he had held for 20 years. 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 2022, the highest paid WNBA players are Breanna Stewart, DeWanna Bonner, Jewell Loyd, Elena Delle Donne, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Brittney Griner, and Diana Taurasi. Three players, two of whom suit up for the same WNBA team, will earn a league-high $228,094 on supermax salaries for the upcoming season. 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. 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. How Much Does A College Basketball Coach Make? 1- Liz Cambage; The Highest Paid WNBA Player Liz Cambage plays in the Las Vegas Aces and is 29 years old. In 2019, prior to the new CBA, she capped out at $117,500. Jalen Wilson is a forward for the Kansas University Jayhawks mens basketball team, who has an NIL value of $914,000.Wilson has been a star for the Jayhawks, averaging 11.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in his freshman season. Cynthia Lynne Cooper-Dyke - UB-Barca, CREFF. In fact, Deloitte predicts elite womens sport revenues could top almost a billion dollars next year. Some argue that if not for the brilliant rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, the league might not be anywhere near where it was today. 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. Here's the list of the top 25 highest paid players in the WNBA in 2022: Breanna Stewart: Seattle Storm - $228,094 Diana Taurasi: Phoenix Mercury - $228,094 Jewell Loyd: Seattle Storm - $228,094 Brittney Griner: Phoenix Mercury - $227,900 DeWanna Bonner: Connecticut Sun - $227,900 Elena Delle Donne: Washington Mystics - $227,900 There is a significant appetite for professional womens sports. Since Sues team, the Seattle Storm, won the 2020 WNBA Championship, each player pockets an additional $11,536 for that feat. Picks 9-12 will earn $66,306, while second round picks will receive $63,389 in 2022. The 68 center for the Los Angeles Sparks has been selected to the All-Star team three times. The WNBA may be a league on the rise, but its players pay is low. The highest player topping our list in total earnings ever is Candace Parker whos at $5.7 million per year. And while agents negotiate on players behalves, knowing your own worth ensures you get more of the type of monetary gain you deserve. Get ready for the 2023 WNBA season: Save 23% on your subscription! Who is the highest-paid WNBA player? A multi-year deal means big bucks and a big bet, so lets add in another $1 million for her sponsorship. Since then, she is leading a glorious career. Basically, knowledge is power! . Breanna Stewart - 228.094 dollars. Mercury G Diana Taurasi: $228,094 (WNBA max salary) Contract: 2 years, $449,544 Average annual value: $224,772 t-1. However, in recent years the popularity of the WNBA is skyrocketing. The salary cap, which is regarded as a hard cap, stands at $1,339,000; this amount of money is distributed among 11 or 12 players on each of 12 rosters. uolas Tubelis is a Lithuanian-born player who currently plays for the Arizona Wildcats as a junior power forward and has an NIL value of $787,000.With 10,500 followers on Instagram, 31,000 on TikTok, and 1,100 on Twitter, he is currently part of the Arizona Assist Club.While he has no NIL deals currently, his growing value will likely ensure that he receives some prominent deals in the future. Skylar has as a very successful WNBA career playing basketball at the highest level. And shes got her own media company Togethxr along with three other star athletes. Image credit: (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images). During her enviable pro career thus far, Brittney has been a 6-time WNBA All-Star. [1] LeBron James became the third in the 201617 season. But the reality is, the more brands that pump money into womens sports, the more the sport is going to thrive. 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. - The Data Jocks, Rapid revenue growth and the ratio of revenue to player salary, The ratio of highest paid WNBA players to the average salary. Check out all the highest paid WNBA players below, and come back when new WNBA starssign newcontracts to see how their salaries stack up! Who are the highest paid WNBA players in 2022? The average mens tournament game averaged 10.7 million viewers per game. The Larry Bird exception, more commonly known as Bird Rights, allows teams to re-sign a current player only if he has played for that particular team for a minimum of three years. She pulls in almost $1 million per season abroad, which far outweighs her top-dollar WNBA salary. Which earned Brittney another $1,803 dollars in bonus cash. List of highest paid Major League Baseball players, "Kobe Bryant to Become NBA's Second Ever $30-Million Player", "The NBA's 25 highest-paid players for the 2016-17 season", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Highest-paid_NBA_players_by_season&oldid=1142898961, National Basketball Association statistical leaders, Employee compensation in the United States, Short description with empty Wikidata description, Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 22:55. That concerted effort bared its fruit, garnering each member of the team $100,000. Her decision came in spite of a panel of league-appointed doctors who would not deem her medically excused from play in the WNBA Bubble, which would have allowed the Mystics to withhold her 2020 salary. Patrick Ewing became the first player to earn $15 million or more in the 95-96 season with a . Loyd was the first overall pick in 2015 after an illustrious career at Notre Dame, going to two national championship games. She is currently recovering from a torn ACL. 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. In his junior season at Indiana, Wilson was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team and the Second-Team All-Big Ten Team. However, we think the discrepancy is larger than it should be based on viewership and appetite for womens professional sports. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. She recently starred in some CarMax commercials. Elena Delle Donne is making around $224,870 this year from contract salaries. The 27-year-old has the 151st-ranked salary in the league at $1,607. So that she wouldnt get injured and not be able to play for UMMC. The ability to dunk in the WNBA pays off handsomely, which is one of the reasons why the 67 Brittney is such a valuable asset. The highest paid players in the WNBA in 2022 are those with super-maximum contracts. Basketball is also no exception and women players receive much low worthy contracts as compared to men. Even so, that feat earned Diana another $1,803. The third highest salary on the 2022 championship Las Vegas Aces roster was all-star guard Kelsey Plum. AP Photo/Ashley Landis Las Vegas Aces A'ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray ($196,267) A'ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray. 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! Taurasi was actually the fourth-highest earner on her team last year, and took home nearly 35% less than sixth woman Bria Hartley did. For picks 5-8, the rookie base salary drops to $69,224. Shes part of Carmelo Anthonys basketball video lessons program, and she was the first woman on the cover of NBA 2K. Here are the top. So she will now receive close to $100,000 to train for United States. In this list we examine the top 10 highest paid college basketball players as of February 2023. The league minimum salary is now $58,710. Diana Taurasi, now 38, signed a two-year supermax deal on February 1, 2021. In 2021, her Las Vegas Aces salary was $221,450. With all these ancillary ways to make money, Dianas WNBA salary is just a drop in the bucket! 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. In the NBA, the highest paid player this year is Steph Curry, making about $48 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. [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. Now that youre locked in, lets see the results. The women's basketball players who make the most money are typically the best players in the game. 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. Stewart is currently having an expensive contract deal with Seattle Storm. And did we mention that shes also the leagues all-time highest scorer? She primarily plays in Russia, where she earns anywhere between $400,000 $1.5 million dollars per overseas season. Shes a 7-time blocks leader, and has won a championship with her team, the Phoenix Mercury. Jay Swingler vs Nicholai Perrett Purse Payouts | How Much Both Earn from PPV Money? No doubt, this WNBA veteran is a superstar. The WNBA is a very new league, only having been founded in the late 1990s. The highest-paid NBA players by season has recently eclipsed $40 million.Larry Bird was the first player to earn $5 million or more with a salary of $7,070,000 in the 1991-92 season. The Phoenix Mercury boast three supermax playersand yes, one of them, at long last, is Diana Taurasi. Most recently, her impact was big enough on and off the court to net her Sports Illustrateds Sportsperson of the Year. Duke Blue Devils vs UNC Tar Heels College Basketball Rivalry. 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. The American-Macedonian professional player is playing as a shooting guard for the Connecticut Sun in Womens National Basketball Association. This season, Bonner will earn $221,450. Breanna Stewart, a famous American basketball player is the 2nd highest paid WNBA player globally, having net worth of $1.7 million. Who is the highest-paid WNBA player in 2023? 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. This means that not only is the average WNBA salary lower than it should be, the top tier female athletes are underpaid! Although WNBA salaries seem low compared to other athletes, WNBA players typically play basketball year round, spending the WNBA offseason touring Europe and doubling, or sometimes tripling, their salary. It isnt the WNBAs fault necessarily; networks are wary of showing and advertising for games they think will be less profitable. 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. But that doesnt mean that the average WNBA salary should be so low that its employees are compelled to play year round in overseas leagues, often in parts of the world that many Americans would not want to visit themselves. You might find some affiliate links on our website which are part of advertisement on this website. 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. High consumption of womens college basketball indicates that there is an appetite for increased consumption of womens professional basketball. 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. Elena Delle Donne - 227,900 dollars. 7. Liz Cambage has played in China, where, way back in 2012, she reportedly netted $297,100 ($400,000 Australian dollars) for her overseas stint. 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. Your login session has expired. Sue is one of the few WNBA stars who have endorsement deals. In the NBA, the average salary is about $7.5 million. Ogunbowale's salary for the 2023 campaign is closest to Young's at $241,984. 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. Here are the complete details about the top 10 highest paid WNBA players in the world along with their salaries and contracts. As well as earned All-WNBA First Team and Second Team honors. A 12 team league cant possibly bring in the same revenue as a 30-team league. Breanna earns approximately $1.5 million per season overseas reported ESPN. 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.