Average WNBA Salary in 2025: Player Earnings & Trends Uncovered

The term 'average WNBA salary' means the amount of money a WNBA player earns in a year. It’s the typical income a player gets from playing in the league. Some players earn more than this, while others may earn less. This average WNBA salary only includes money earned from playing basketball in the WNBA league. It does not include any extra income players might make from other sources. For example, many WNBA players also earn money from brand deals, sponsorships, or playing in other leagues or overseas. These extra earnings can add a lot of money to their total income. But when we talk about the salary, we are only looking at what they are paid by the WNBA teams.

What Is the Average WNBA Salary in 2025?

In 2025, the average WNBA salary is around $102,249, according to Sports Illustrated. This amount shows what a player earns from her team during the WNBA season. Some players earn more than this, especially those who are star players or have played in the league for many years and have experience. Rookies, inexperienced players, or players with fewer minutes may earn less. The minimum salary for a rookie in the league is $66,079 and the maximum that a rookie can earn is $78,831. Players who are earning close to the average WNBA player salary include Kia Nurse, Natisha Heideman, and Alanna Smith. These players are not the highest-paid, but they are important team members with important roles. This number has been going up in recent years due to better contract deals and a growing interest among fans in women’s basketball. However, it is still far behind the average salary of NBA players.

How Much Do WNBA Rookies Make?

WNBA rookies earn different amounts depending on where they were picked in the draft. The WNBA has a salary system that sets the amount each rookie will make in their team. In 2025, top picks in the first round, like Paige Bueckers, can earn around $76,000 in their first year. Those who were picked later in the draft, or undrafted players and free agents, earn less, which is usually between $66,000 and $79,000. This rookie pay scale helps teams manage money given to them while still paying new players fairly. These rookie contracts mainly last for three years, and players can conclude the contract or become free agents after that. While rookie salary may seem low compared to the average WNBA salary, it gives young players a chance to prove their talent and skill in the league. Once they perform well, they can earn a much higher salary in future contracts with different teams. So, even though rookies start with a lower salary, they have the opportunity to grow their earnings if they play well and become valuable players for their teams.

How WNBA Salaries Have Changed Over the Years

The average salary of WNBA players has changed a lot over time. In the early years, most players earned very little compared to what they earn today. The league didn’t make much money, and players didn’t get a big share of it. But things began to change after 2020 when the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) was signed. This new agreement gave players a higher share of the league’s total revenue. Since then, average salaries have been growing every year. Players now get better bonuses, travel conditions, and healthcare support.

Compared to the NBA, though, the WNBA still has a long way to go. NBA players get around 50% of league revenue, while WNBA players receive only around 10%. But the gap is slowly getting smaller. Compared to the 2022 season, the 2024 season saw an increase of 73%. With more fans, TV deals, and sponsors, the league earns more money. As a result, it has been able to pay players more. If the league continues to earn more, it will be able to pay the players more. Even if we see now the WNBA is funded by the NBA, as the WNBA is unable to make a profit to support itself so it has to rely on other sources.

WNBA Salary Cap and Player Contracts

Each WNBA team has a limit on how much money it can spend on its players; this is called the “salary cap.” In 2025, the WNBA salary cap is about $1.41 million per team. Teams must build their entire roster within this amount. Usually, teams can keep up to 12 players. But to stay within the cap, some teams choose to carry only 11 or 10 players. This helps them stay under the budget. There is also a minimum amount that teams must spend on player salaries, which ensures that players are not underpaid. The minimum salary cap for 2025 season is $1,261,440. Special contract terms also affect how salaries work. For example, “core” players are those players a team can retain even if they become free agents. Teams can use this rule on one player per year. “Reserved” contracts are for players who can’t sign with other teams, who are usually referred to as restricted free agents. These rules help teams manage talented players and keep top players.

Average WNBA Salary vs Average NBA Salary

There is a big difference between what WNBA and NBA players earn annually. In 2025, the average WNBA salary is about $147,745, while the average NBA salary is $11,910,649 according to Basketball Reference. This gap is huge and often shocks people. One reason for the difference is the league's revenue. The NBA earns much more money through ticket sales, sponsorships, and TV deals. The NBA's 2023-24 season revenue was $11.34 billion, according to statista. In comparison, the WNBA had generated only $200 million for the 2023 season, according to Bloomberg.

More fans follow the NBA, and this allows teams to pay their players more. The WNBA is still growing and has fewer games and fans, which means it earns less income. Another reason is the number of teams and games. The NBA has 30 teams with 82 regular-season games. The WNBA has only 12 teams with 44 regular-season games. All of this affects how much money the league can pay its players. Comparison between average salary of wnba player vs NBA salary shows that the WNBA has a very long journey to reach where the NBA salary is.

How Much Top and New Players Are Earning

Some top WNBA players are making more than ever in 2025. For example, Jackie Young and Arike Ogunbowale are among the highest-paid players, earning over $240,000 per year. Players like Jewell Loyd and Kahleah Copper are also near the top salary level. These top players often get bonuses, marketing deals, and other extras that push their total income higher. On the other side, rookies like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese started their careers with salaries around $76,000, which is high for new players but still lower than stars.

Clark, while still being in college, earned $3.1 million from her NIL deals according to On3, which makes her WNBA salary look like pocket change. Some experienced players like Kia Nurse and Natisha Hiedeman make around the average salary. Their steady performance makes them valuable to teams without costing a lot of money. Extra income from things like endorsement deals, appearance fees, and bonuses helps players earn more. Many WNBA stars partner with brands like Nike, Puma, or Gatorade. These deals help them raise their total earnings, even when their base salary isn’t very high.

Can WNBA Players Earn More?

WNBA players have the chance to earn more in the future. The league is growing fast. More fans are watching games, buying team merch, and following players on social media. This brings in more money for the league. As the WNBA earns more, players can ask for better pay. Many stars, like Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, have spoken up about this issue; they want a bigger share of the money they help bring in for the league. Right now, if we look at WNBA players, they don’t get as much of the league’s revenue as NBA players do. This is something they want to change in future contracts. There’s also a push to improve travel, health benefits, and family support. If the WNBA continues to grow and gets more support from fans and media, players will be in a stronger position to ask for more money. That’s why the next few years are very important for the future of women’s basketball in terms of salary and revenue.

The WNBA locked in a massive win last July with its fresh national media rights deal, an eye-popping $2.2 billion spread across 11 years. That’s roughly $200 million annually, which is six times the cash they were pulling before. League insiders think the payday could climb even higher by 2029. And don’t be surprised if more broadcast deals pop up soon, there’s still extra game inventory on the table.
This new TV money kicks in next season, with ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, and NBC all in the mix. That kind of backing might finally push a few teams past the break-even mark and into legit profitability.
But here’s the catch: a new CBA is coming. It kicks off next season, and with it, a likely spike in WNBA player salaries. Right now, players top out around $250K, but that ceiling's expected to get a serious bump. So while teams will earn more, they’ll probably be spending a lot more too.

Other Ways WNBA Players Make Money

WNBA players don’t completely rely on their league salary. Many players make extra money in other ways. Some players play in overseas leagues during the WNBA offseason in countries like Turkey, Russia, and Australia, which pay high salaries, sometimes even more than what players earn in the WNBA. For example, players like Brittney Griner and Jonquel Jones have earned big money by playing overseas. Others take part in new U.S. leagues like Unrivaled, which offer better pay and shorter seasons.

Many stars also earn through brand partnerships. They sign deals with big companies like Nike, Adidas, and Gatorade. Players also make money by attending events, hosting camps, or working in media roles. These extra sources of income help players balance the lower base salary they get from WNBA teams. In some cases, players can earn double or even triple of their WNBA income from outside work. For example, in 2015, Diana Taurasi was paid $1.5 million by her Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg. Her WNBA salary the previous year? Just $107,000.

What Could Change in the Future?

In the coming future, many things could improve for the WNBA players. A big change can come through the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, where they will agree to pay more shares for players, as players want to get a bigger share of league profits and better working conditions. They also want improved travel arrangements and healthcare benefits. Some top stars believe that a raise in the salary cap would help teams pay more players fairly without them being underpaid.

The league is also growing in popularity, as it is getting higher TV ratings and more media coverage. More fans are also attending games, and the WNBA is signing better sponsorship deals with big brands. If this continues to happen, it will bring in more money for the league. This extra income could help them raise player salaries. Fans and media play a big role in pushing the league forward. If the support keeps growing, the future of WNBA salaries looks bright. Many believe that the pay gap between the WNBA and NBA will slowly start to close in the coming years.