Who is the highest-paid WNBA player?
The Women’s National Basketball Association is here with the 26th season and there is no arguing that this is one of the most intriguing seasons yet. There are a lot of twists and unexpected results which means that the league is getting more competitive, which is always a good thing for the sport.
One of the reasons why the WNBA is getting more and more interesting is because of the top athletes that compete on every team. After the WNBA Drafts which were in April, we can now see the official lineup for each team for the 2022-2023 WNBA season.
The WNBA had a massive spike in viewership, which proves that this section of the NBA can also be very popular. In fact, the Women’s NCAA Championship game was the most viewed college basketball game in both men’s and women’s categories since 2008. Plus, the WNBA betting odds are normally quite popular among sportsbooks.
However, do we know much money WNBA players are earning? As of now, there is no secret that there is a massive salary gap between WNBA and NBA, but how big is it?
Well, it turns out it is pretty massive. NBA’s rookie minimum salary is set at $925,000, whereas the minimum salary for a rookie player in WNBA is around $60,000.
Obviously, there is a massive gap between WNBA and NBA, but is the situation different for some of the top athletes in the league?
Well, let’s find out how much money the best WNBA players are earning.
Diana Taurasi – Phoenix Mercury
Diana Taurasi is a professional basketball player playing for the Phoenix Mercury. She was first drafted by Phoenix in the 2004 WNBA draft, and since then she had earned many achievements and awards, such as the WNBA Rookie of the Year, multiple MVP awards, Olympic Gold medals, and much more.
Diana Taurasi is without a doubt one of the most successful players in the WNBA, which is why she has the biggest salary of $228,094 per year.
Jewell Loyd – Seattle Storm
Here we have another top-tier athlete from the WNBA that plays as a point/shooting guard for the Seattle Storm. Loyd once said that “a professional women’s basketball player needs a good passport and a willingness to travel more than a reliable jumper”.
She was originally drafted by the Storm back in the 2015 WNBA draft as the first overall, and since then she has proved her skills on the basketball court.
Throughout her professional career in the WNBA, she won 2 WNBA Championships, the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, and was included in the All-Star team four times.
When it comes to her salary, she is paid $228,094 annually, the same as Diana from the Phoenix Mercury.
Breanna Stewart -Seattle Storm
It seems like the Seattle Storm have quite a team since both of the most successful WNBA players are on their team. Breanna Stewart is another very successful WNBA player winning the Rookie Award, as well as the WNBA MVP only two years after entering the WNBA.
Throughout her career, she had managed to win two Champions Trophies and four All-Star championships.
This is why Breanna earns the highest salary in the WNBA which is the same as the other two we mentioned so far, of $228.094 per year.
DeWanna Bonner – Connecticut Sun
Here we have a more experienced player that has played in the WNBA for quite some time. DeWanna Bonner is an American-Macedonian professional basketball player that currently plays for the Connecticut Sun.
After a rather successful college career, DeWanna was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury as the fifth overall pick in the 2009 WNBA draft and was traded to the Connecticut Sun 11 years later.
Throughout her career, she has managed to switch quite a lot of teams after finding her place in the Sun. She has also won 2 WNBA Championships and 4 WNBA All-Stars.
Considering that she is one of the top athletes in the WNBA, her annual salary is also one of the highest, reaching $227,900. She is one of the best players on her team, which is why she receives the highest salary compared to her teammates.
Skylar Diggins-Smith – Phoenix Mercury
Here we have another great WNBA player that plays for the Phoenix Mercury. Just like any other athlete in WNBA, she started to show off her skills in college basketball, after being drafted by the Tulsa Shock in the 2013 WNBA draft third overall.
Obviously, she was quite talented as she had led Notre Dame (her college team) to three consecutive Final Fours and two NCAA Championship appearances. She also finished first in points and steals out of all players in the NCAA that year.
After moving to Phoenix Mercury in 2020, she still hadn’t had a chance to win a championship final, but she appeared in three All-Star championships.
Considering that she is playing for the Phoenix Mercury, for almost four years, she has yet to prove her incredible skills behind the ball.
But when it comes to salary, she is one of the leading athletes in the WNBA, earning $227,900 per year.