highest paid wnba player highest paid wnba player

She played for Dallas Wings from the beginning of her career before making a move to Phoenix Mercury in 2020 for which she is currently playing for. Bailey has 567,000 followers on Instagram, commanding a large social media presence.Bailey is signed to Roc Nation Sports, and so far has just one deal with Ethika. Jackie Young of the Aces has an average annual salary of $252,450 and is currently the WNBAs highest-paid player in 2023. To make our point, we need to look at the viewership statistics of a more established womens sports league: womens college basketball. Earlier, we pointed out that the WNBA is a young league. Phoenix Mercury teammates Skylar Diggins-Smith and Brittany Griner are not far behind on the richest woman basketball players list. However, we expect WNBA viewership to increase rapidly in the near future. 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. 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. She is a player, many teams want to have in their books. In 2021, her Las Vegas Aces salary was $221,450. 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. We believe that not only are WNBA players underpaid relative to their current league revenue, we also believe that the WNBA as a league could do much, much more to increase its revenue. The lowest-paid player in the WNBA is Mercury's Kaela Davis. The highest paid players in the WNBA in 2022 are those with super-maximum contracts. How much a WNBA rookies makes depends on where she was drafted. But if womens college basketball can come close to competing with mens college basketball during tournament time, the WNBA should be able to draw more eyes. Since Sues team, the Seattle Storm, won the 2020 WNBA Championship, each player pockets an additional $11,536 for that feat. In 2021, the star signed a multiyear shoe deal with Puma that guarantees her the creation and release of her own signature sneaker. She has been with the Dream since she first entered the league in 2o12 after being selected 14th overall in the draft. Loyd was the first overall pick in 2015 after an illustrious career at Notre Dame, going to two national championship games. 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. Below are the WNBA players who are paid the highest. And while agents negotiate on players behalves, knowing your own worth ensures you get more of the type of monetary gain you deserve. Plum had a spectacular regular season that even saw her claim the all-star game MVP this year. The salary cap is determined during the offseason, but as stated earlier, it is liable to change.[2]. Check out the highest-paid player on each WNBA team for the 2022 campaign below: Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Next on the list of the highest paid WNBA player in the world is DeWanna Bonner. With the 2021 WNBA season tipping off Friday, we took a look at the league's highest-paid players. As detailed by CNBC, the average pay for a WNBA player in the season prior to the new agreement was around $116,000. All-star guard Jewell Loyd became the highest paid WNBA player after resigning with the Seattle Storm before last season. The base salary for WNBA rookies varies on when (or if) players were selected in the WNBA Draft. In 2020, the leagues latest collective bargaining agreement bumped the maximum salary for the highest-paid players from $117,500 to $215,000. Hanna Cavinder is the highest earning womens NCAA basketball player, with an NIL value of $846,000.Cavinder is a senior point guard at the University of Miami.She has amassed 4.7 million followers across all social media, making her the most followed college basketball athlete.Her 4.2 million TikTok followers makes her one of the most popular college athletes in the United States. 4. The highest player topping our list in total earnings ever is Candace Parker whos at $5.7 million per year. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Be the first one to comment on this story. Bates was dismissed from Memphis following legal troubles and now finds himself at Eastern Michigan. In 2022, Candace will make $195,000 from her WNBA contract. While it's still unknown what their new deals will look like, Parker or Stewart could join the ranks of the highest-paid players. Skylar has as a very successful WNBA career playing basketball at the highest level. The Las Vegas Aces big three of Chelsea Gray, A'ja Wilson, and Kelsey Plum all sit somewhere in the top 30 WNBA players salary list, and for good reason. The NBA salary cap is the maximum dollar amount each NBA team can spend on its players for the season. AP Photo/Danny Karnik Los Angeles Sparks Kristi Toliver ($196,100) Kristi Toliver. Basically, knowledge is power! Why? Sue has been with Nike since 2003. Enmanuel has deals with major companies such as Adidas, Gatorade, T-Mobile, and Dreamer.He famously appeared in commercials for Gatorade and in a commercial for rapper J. Coles Dreamer collaboration with Puma. At the age of 32, Elena is still giving brilliant performance and winning games for her team. After being drafted as the #1 pick in 2016, Stewie swept the WNBA Regular Season MVP and WNBA Finals MVP. Third rounders and undrafted rookies will receive . Duke Blue Devils vs UNC Tar Heels College Basketball Rivalry. The WNBA may be following a similar trajectory. So she will now receive $100,000 to train in the United States. In recent years, the popularity of the league has been increasing dramatically. 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. And shes only been in the league seven years! The league minimum salary is now $58,710. To get to the WNBAlevel,hoopersmust train relentlessly, compete at the highest level, andwin games. Including being named twice to the All-WNBA First Team and twice to the All-WNBA Second team. To receive email updates when new articles are posted, use the subscription form below! Chelsea Gray is a hardened veteran, and one of the best shotmakers in the league. Russell Westbrook, who opted into the final year of his contract for next season, is the highest-paid Laker over both LeBron James and Anthony Davis for next season. Skylar Diggins . However, this is important knowledge, especially amongst players. Also Who is the lowest paid WNBA player? In 2022, Breanna Stewart will earn a base salary of$228,094. The Phoenix Mercury boast three supermax playersand yes, one of them, at long last, is Diana Taurasi. Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi, Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd and Seattle forward Breanna Stewart are the highest-paid players in the WNBA,. For picks No. As of February, the title of the highest-paid WNBA player belongs to Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces. There might not be an NBA at all. Obviously, shes worth every penny of her (too small) WNBA income and then some! No doubt, this WNBA veteran is a superstar. While these might not necessarily be the exact total pay figures for players, we did the best we could directionally. The highest paid WNBA player in 2022 is every hooper making the $228,094 supermax which includes Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, and Jewell Loyd. Valentina Shevchenko vs Alexa Grasso Purse Payouts | What Will be there share in UFC 285 Potential Bonus? The NCAA womens college basketball tournament has been played since the late 1970s. Shes signed contracts with Gatorade, Adidas, and Beats by Dre, Band-Aid, Capital One, and CarMax, among others. As a five star recruit Bailey chose UCLA over a multitude of other schools. In 2020, the top WNBA base salary was $215,000; in 2019, the top WNBA base salary was $117,500. In 2017 she was inducted into the Women Basketball Hall of Fame. Subscribe to get the latest articles first. Our overall argument is not only that today, right now WNBA players should be paid more. Check out all the highest paid WNBA players below, and come back when new WNBA starssign newcontracts to see how their salaries stack up! This offseason, two of the league's top talents changed teams in free agency. 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. Liz herself said, in 2018: Ive said this many times. A knee injury kept her out of the 2019 campaign, but she has otherwise played for the Seattle Storm in every WNBA season dating back to 2002. Absolutely, she said. In February 2020, Bonner was signed and traded to the Connecticut Sun, making her eligible for supermax earnings there. In the past, shes had contracts with Puma and BodyArmor. As well as earned All-WNBA First Team and Second Team honors. 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. The highest paid WNBA player this year is a tie between Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, and Jewell Lloyd each making just over $228,000 this year. Richest Female Basketball Players and Their Net WorthRichest Female WNBA PlayersCandace Parker Sue Bird Breanna Stewart Lisa LeslieElena Delle Donne Kelsey P. Derek Brunson vs Dricus Du Plessis Purse Payouts | How Much Both Earn from Potential Bonus Money? In his junior season at Indiana, Wilson was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team and the Second-Team All-Big Ten Team. As I said above, the average WNBA salary is about $128,000. Perhaps more importantly, the WNBA now has bona fide superstars to push its popularity. DeWanna Bonner spent 10 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, and in that time, she became one of the WNBA's superstars. That is a lot of money , especially compared to what teachers get paid. Headlines like The Highest WNBA salary is $228,000 while in the NBA its over $45 million are well-intentioned, but disingenuous at best. Sue is also a part of Team USA. In the NBA world, weve reduced salary costs to buying wins. 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. I'm being paid same as Pistons' Jackson; Larry Bird was the first player to earn $5 million or more with a salary of $7,070,000 in the 1991-92 season. At the end of the day, salaries have to be related to revenue. Another big name to move in free agency was Breanna Stewart. 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. Liz also plays for Australian and international teams during the WNBA off-season. But its less clear how our women stack up against each other. As they say, acandlelosesnothingbylighting another candle. And before the first games tip off on Friday, Insider took a look at the league's highest-paid players on each team based on Spotrac's salary figures. You might find some affiliate links on our website which are part of advertisement on this website. That means the highest paid WNBA players only make about 1.8 times as much as the average WNBA salary. In her career, she has played exceptionally well and has generated enough revenue from contracts as well as merchandise sales. Lets see which WNBA superstars have pocketed the most cash money over the past few years. Marta Vieira da Silva is undoubtedly the highest paid basketball player in the WNBA. Check out the highest-paid player on each WNBA team for the 2022 campaign below: Dallas Wings Moriah Jefferson ($180,200) Moriah Jefferson. 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. All these are the details about the top 10 highest paid WNBA players along with their contract salary and net worth. The 27-year-old has the 151st-ranked salary in the league at $1,607. Where she made 10-20 times more than her WNBA salary! The highest paid WNBA players ever might surprise you. While her endorsement pay (including TV commercials) has been kept private, well take a modest estimate of $250,000. WNBA teams can talk to free agents starting on Jan. 21. Stay tuned for more information! 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. She signed a two year $463,030 contract last offseason, giving her an annual salary of $231,515. Not only that but the maximum salary a WNBA player could earn almost doubled, from $117,500 to $215,000 in 2020, per ESPN. (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. WNBA Highest Paid Players in 2020 DeWanna Bonner (Connecticut Sun) - $215,000. Stewart is currently having an expensive contract deal with Seattle Storm. Hailey Van Lith is one of the highest earning college basketball players, with an NIL value of $526,000.Van Lith, who is a junior point guard at Louisville, is known as one of the best college basketball players in the nation. Kidding. She will earn a base salary of $228,094 next season. So its no mystery why shes one of the leagues top earners. ONeal has amassed 3.6 million followers on TikTok, and 932,000 followers on Instagram.ONeal most notably has an endorsement with clothing brand boohooMAN and Capital One.ONeal is mostly a rotation player towards the end of the Texas Southern bench. 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. Liz Cambage also endorsed Wilson basketballs as of 2021. Breanna earns approximately $1.5 million per season overseas reported ESPN. 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. 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. Young is set to make $252,450 this season.. Loyd was the first overall pick in 2015 after an illustrious career at Notre Dame, going to two national championship games. 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. Which earned Brittney another $1,803 dollars in bonus cash. 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. However, in recent years the popularity of the WNBA is skyrocketing. 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. 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. The total revenue for the WNBA is about $60 million while in the NBA it is about $7.6 billion. The Mercury secured a playoff spot but was knocked out during the 2nd round. 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. Astonishing fact: Despite making our list of the highest paid WNBA players, Skylar has never lined her pockets by playing overseas! Up next, check out the rest of our WNBA salary series, with the lowest paid WNBA players. In the NBA, the highest paid player this year is Steph Curry, making about $48 million. ), WNBA players are earning more than they ever have and its well-deserved. A multi-year deal means big bucks and a big bet, so lets add in another $1 million for her sponsorship. Stewart was the first overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft and was named the 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year. Meanwhile, just for reference, tennis phenom Naomi Osaka comes in at $57.3 million according to Forbes. The average mens tournament game averaged 10.7 million viewers per game. t-1. The Mercury made it to the second round of the playoffs in 2020, but lost to the Minnesota Lynx. The mens college basketball tournament is no joke, it is one of the premier sporting events of the year. This is not dissimilar to the history of the NBA, just many years later. 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. Deals can't be officially signed until Feb. 1. [1] LeBron James became the third in the 201617 season. Who is the highest-paid player in the WNBA? 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. Surprise! As she puts it: Ive never been overseas to play. In the NBA, the average salary is about $7.5 million. 1-4 in the 2022 WNBA Draft, the base salary is expected to be $72,141 in year one. 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. 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. However, she did receive her full pay, thanks to the new WNBA CBA. Even so, that feat earned Diana another $1,803. Meanwhile, center Griner re-signed with and was cored by Phoenix, and was able to take advantage of the new supermax rules as well. 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. 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. WNBA Salary Rankings | Spotrac WNBA Salary Rankings Listing the top salaries, cap hits, cash, earnings, contracts, and bonuses, for all active WNBA players. The Suns have clear championship expectations and Bonner will have to play at an elite level if they want to win their first chip. The highest-paid WNBA player makes 22.8 percent of what Hammon does. A teacher makes approximately $35,000-$55,000 yearly. 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. She made $1.5 million per season with the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg. Copyright 2017-2023 Rookie Road Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Heres why: The WNBA is a 12 team league versus the NBA being a 30 team league. WNBAstarswho earn the most money are true international superstars who live luxurious lives on and off the court. However, the NBA uses a "soft" salary cap, which means that significant "salary exceptions" allow NBA teams to exceed their allotted amount in order to sign players. The groundbreaking collective bargaining agreement unveiled by the WNBPA, WNBA Board of Governors, and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in January 2020 boosted base salaries and continues to provide for extra earning opportunities for WNBA players. No matter what is the sport, there is always a pay gap between the mens and womens event. Candace Parker is the first big name to join a new team in free agency. Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is set to earn a highest base salary in 2022-23 at $48.07 million. And we added in prior overseas play. Im with Roc Nation, where Im the only woman signed. Shes part of Carmelo Anthonys basketball video lessons program, and she was the first woman on the cover of NBA 2K. Diana struck a deal with BodyArmor, a sports drink, in 2018, which she still endorses today. Candace played overseas for 10 seasons, in Russia, Turkey and China. As are the Washington Mystics small forwardElena Delle Donne and Connecticut Sun guardDeWanna Bonner. The third highest salary on the 2022 championship Las Vegas Aces roster was all-star guard Kelsey Plum. - 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. The 65 point guard is expected to be a future first round NBA Draft pick. 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. 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. Top 25 Highest Paid WNBA Players in 2022 & Ever, Breanna Stewart: Seattle Storm $228,094, Diana Taurasi: Phoenix Mercury $228,094, Brittney Griner: Phoenix Mercury $227,900, DeWanna Bonner: Connecticut Sun $227,900, Elena Delle Donne: Washington Mystics $227,900, Skylar Diggins-Smith: Phoenix Mercury $227,900, Natasha Howard: New York Liberty $221,450, Alyssa Thomas: Connecticut Sun $206,000, Jonquel Jones: Connecticut Sun $205,000, Kelsey Mitchell: Indiana Fever $200,000, Betnijah Laney: New York Liberty $196,267, Nneka Ogwumike: Los Angeles Sparks $196,267, Kristi Toliver: Los Angeles Sparks $196,100, Courtney Vandersloot: Chicago Sky $195,000, Cheyenne Parker: Atlanta Dream $190,550. She continues to break records both offensively and defensively. As we dive into the salaries of WNBA players, however, the difference is stark. To me, this says that viewers are interested in watching womens sports. The salaries and endorsements deals of DeWanna has contributed greatly to make her net worth touch the $1.5 million mark and making her the 4th highest paid women basketball player. He has deals with Adidas, Campus Ink, Merchants Bank of Indiana, Turnstone Center, and Push Paddle or Pedal. Check out the highest-paid player on each WNBA team for the 2022 campaign below: Dallas Wings Moriah Jefferson ($180,200) Moriah Jefferson. However, some still manage to make 6 figures for their incredible performances. He has deals with Dollar Shave Club, Walkers Furniture, Goli Nutrition, and Preediction. DeWanna Bonner comes fourth at $227,900. Plus, she was named to the All-First Team so she gets $10,300. Full list of highest paid players. In 2022, shell make $227,900 from her Phoenix Mercury contract. And they might feel threatened to share their salary information with peers who they feel they are competing for dollars with. In Australia, she currently plays for the Southside Flyers. And she was the WNBA Finals MVP (which probably doesnt get the $15,450 the season MVP gets). The problem is just that the WNBA isnt pushed as well as it could be. Previously, she played for Shanghai Baoshun Dahua in Chinas WCBA since the 2016-17 season. 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. She was also the first openly gay athlete to sign with the company, which garnered her a lot of attention. Elena Delle Donne - 227,900 dollars. 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. That concerted effort bared its fruit, garnering each member of the team $100,000. In spite of the Suns disappointing loss in the WNBA Finals, Bonner enjoyed an efficient postseason that saw her come up clutch in the semifinals against the Chicago Sky. Breanna Stewart, a famous American basketball player is the 2nd highest paid WNBA player globally, having net worth of $1.7 million.