During the 2024 season, Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces had the highest salary among players in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) with over 252 thousand U.S. dollars. In second place was Seattle Storm guard Jewel Loyd with 245.51 thousand U.S. dollars.
How much do WNBA rookies earn?
In the lead up to the 2024 WNBA season, one of the most pressing issues surrounding the league was the pay structure. The catalyst for this was the drafting of college basketball superstar Caitlin Clark as the No. 1 pick. Despite coming into the league as the all-time leading NCAA scorer, and potentially being the biggest draw to the league in the coming years, the WNBA's rookie salary scale dictates that Clark's base salary in her first year in the WNBA would only be a fraction of the top earners. Although Clark is likely to bolster her earnings through sponsorship deals, the league's salary structure is unlikely to change before the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires in 2027.
How much are men’s National Basketball Association (NBA) players paid?
Compared to the top earners in the women’s league, the picture in the men's league is a little different. Some of the highest-paid male professional basketball players take home eye-watering amounts each year. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers currently sits at the top of the pile, earning 47.6 million U.S. dollars in the 2023/24 season for his appearances in the NBA, on top of a further 70 million U.S. dollars' worth of endorsements. Overall, average annual salaries in the NBA are much higher than in the WNBA. On average, NBA players took home more than 10 million U.S. dollars in 2023/24, while WNBA players earned roughly 116 thousand U.S. dollars in 2023.
Highest paid players in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the United States in 2024
(in 1,000 U.S. dollars)
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Front Office Sports. (April 19, 2024). Highest paid players in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the United States in 2024 (in 1,000 U.S. dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 30, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1098893/wnba-highest-earners/
Front Office Sports. "Highest paid players in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the United States in 2024 (in 1,000 U.S. dollars)." Chart. April 19, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 30, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1098893/wnba-highest-earners/
Front Office Sports. (2024). Highest paid players in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the United States in 2024 (in 1,000 U.S. dollars). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 30, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1098893/wnba-highest-earners/
Front Office Sports. "Highest Paid Players in The Women’s National Basketball Association (Wnba) in The United States in 2024 (in 1,000 U.S. Dollars)." Statista, Statista Inc., 19 Apr 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1098893/wnba-highest-earners/
Front Office Sports, Highest paid players in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the United States in 2024 (in 1,000 U.S. dollars) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1098893/wnba-highest-earners/ (last visited December 30, 2024)
Highest paid players in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the United States in 2024 (in 1,000 U.S. dollars) [Graph], Front Office Sports, April 19, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1098893/wnba-highest-earners/
