Source: Sarah Stier / Getty
The
WNBA has received much more attention over recent years, and the recent March Madness events of
Caitlin Clark and
Angel Reese have shed light on one of the league’s most glaring issues: pay disparity.
Clark may be getting a major bag thanks to her NIL deals, but her WNBA salary is nowhere near that of the NBA.
The first four picks—Clark, Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso, and Rickea Jackson—will all be offered similar contracts, and none will even hit six figures.
The four-year rookie contract broken down:
- 2024: $76,535
- 2025: $78,066
- 2026: $85,873
- 2027 (fourth-year option): $97,582
The numbers come from the
WNBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, and the rookie contract amounts to only $338,056.
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Looking deeper into the CBA reveals just how different WNBA salaries are from the NBA. For rookies or players who have been in the league for no more than two years, the minimum salary in 2020 was $57,000 and is currently $64,154. It has been going up yearly; by 2027, it will hit $70,103.
In comparison,
Victor Wembanyama, who was selected with the first overall pick by the
San Antonio Spurs in the 2023 NBA draft, has a four-year contract worth just over $55 million, which means he’ll make more in one game than Clark will in her entire four-month rookie season.
However, like many other professional athletes, their league is the platform they use to leverage their popularity to get brand deals worth more than their contracts.
Just a few of the NIL deals that Clark signed in college—which could be worth even more as her talent grows once she’s a professional—include State Farm, Gatorade, Nike, Panini America, Xfinity, and H&R Block.
She’s already proven to be worth her contract, as
TMZ reports that upon getting drafted by the Indiana Fever on Monday night, she officially has the top-selling jersey Fanatics has ever seen.
She spoke about her elite confidence level on
Good Morning America, tauting all the blood sweat and tears she puts into improving her game.
“I always believed in myself,” Clark told GMA. “Also, I worked really hard for it. I think that’s what I’m really proud of is like, I earned it. I deserve it. Nothing was ever given to me. More than anything, just believe in myself.”
See how X is reacting to the WNBA contracts below.
