Emoni Bates is one of the highest earning college basketball players, with an NIL value of $657,000.Bates is a 610 small forward and was the fifth best player in the recruiting class of 2021.Bates originally committed to Michigan State, then rescinded his commitment to attend Memphis. But award money calculations are based off of 2020 results. All-star guard Jewell Loyd became the highest paid WNBA player after resigning with the Seattle Storm before the 2021 season. Out of those ten players chosen that year, Kobe Bryant was the only player that was also among the game's ten highest-paid during the 201011 NBA season.[6]. 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. Marta Vieira da Silva is undoubtedly the highest paid basketball player in the WNBA. The lowest-paid player in the WNBA is Mercury's Kaela Davis. Get ready for the 2023 WNBA season: Save 23% on your subscription! Through a sign-and-trade deal between Phoenix and Dallas (for whom she was a designated core player), point guard Diggins-Smith was able to sign a four-year supermax contract with the Mercury in February 2020. The highest-paid NBA players by season has recently eclipsed $40 million. Brandon Figueroa vs Mark Magsayo Purse Payouts | How Much Both Fighters Will Earn from PPV Fight? 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. While the details of her Roc Nation deal havent been divulged, its Sports President, Juan Perez, says that Skylar has earned far more than if shed played abroad. She, along with 7 other WNBA players, also has a Glossier deal. DeWanna Bonner comes fourth at $227,900. Here is Spotrac.com's top 10 list of highest-paid WNBA players by average annual value. This means that not only is the average WNBA salary lower than it should be, the top tier female athletes are underpaid! So she will now receive close to $100,000 to train for United States. 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. The point of this exercise is to counter the myth that we cant afford to pay high salaries to WNBA players because the league just doesnt make any money. This will lead to an increase in the average WNBA salary. And famously sat out the WNBA 2015-2016 season. Like, Im a millionaire because of it. So we can average out the 11 seasons she did play in Russia at a modest $1,000,000. Liz medically opted out of the 2020 WNBA season due to the coronavirus pandemic, so she didnt earn any bonus or award money. In 2022, Breanna Stewart will earn a base salary of$228,094. Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News. In 2021, they hit the floor with Chicago native Candace Parker, who stands as the second-highest earner on the team at $195,000. In Dianas 17-year career, shes broken WNBA records and has attained a plethora of accolades including being a 3-time WNBA champion. So she pockets an additional $11,536 for that feat. 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. 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. 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. Thus, looking at average salaries biases the argument in favor of the men! . They are Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, and Jewell Loyd. Skylar Diggins-Smith. Because the WNBA is a smaller league, the 144 players on active WNBA rosters are the best 144 womens basketball players. She was also the first openly gay athlete to sign with the company, which garnered her a lot of attention. 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. Hansel Enmanuel is the highest-earning college basketball player with an NIL value of $1.5 million.Enmanuel, who was born with no left arm, is from the Dominican Republic and attends Northwestern State University.He amassed 1.6 million Instagram followers, and 2.7 million TikTok followers, much from his high school basketball highlight videos going viral.Fans across the world were inspired by Enmanuels story as well as his ridiculous athletic ability. Because after the NBAs Kyrie Irving saw her wearing his shoes, he told Nike, Okay, yeah, give her whatever she wants. So, well factor in another $2,000,000 into her income for good measure! Rookie Road may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. And we added in prior overseas play. The NCAA womens college basketball tournament has been played since the late 1970s. Derek Brunson vs Dricus Du Plessis Purse Payouts | How Much Both Earn from Potential Bonus Money? Skylar Diggins . Double trouble. WNBA salaries: Who has the highest, league average, more originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea. While her endorsement pay (including TV commercials) has been kept private, well take a modest estimate of $250,000. In this article well list a few reasons and statistics why we think the average WNBA salary is lower than it should be. No doubt, this WNBA veteran is a superstar. Astonishing fact: Despite making our list of the highest paid WNBA players, Skylar has never lined her pockets by playing overseas! 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. Since the day she was drafted, Taurasi has won three WNBA championships (2007, 2009, 2014), one WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (2009), two WNBA Finals MVP Awards (2009, 2014), four Olympic gold medals, (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016), five scoring titles (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2004), and three FIBA World Cups (2010, 2014, 2018). As of now, the details of her contract have not been announced. Diana struck a deal with BodyArmor, a sports drink, in 2018, which she still endorses today. Brittney is a powerhouse when it comes to overseas play and shes compensated pretty well for it. Liz Cambage has played in China, where, way back in 2012, she reportedly netted $297,100 ($400,000 Australian dollars) for her overseas stint. In professional leagues as we stated above that number was 120 times. In order to be fairly compensated, you need to know what to ask for. Earlier, we pointed out that the WNBA is a young league. Who is the highest-paid WNBA player in 2023? Elena Delle Donne is making around $224,870 this year from contract salaries. Shes also won a championship with the Los Angeles Sparks, for whom she was the first-round pick in 2008. Cynthia Lynne Cooper-Dyke - UB-Barca, CREFF. In the NBA world, weve reduced salary costs to buying wins. Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and UMMC Ekaterinburg of Russia. Where shell make another $100,000 for training in the United States during the WNBA off-season. Thanks to the hard-fought increases in the 2020 CBA (thank you Nneka! In her first season, she was named to the WNBA All-Rookie team. In 2021, she signed a new contract with the Vegas Aces on a one-year agreement of $221,450. Surprise! Parker was an All-Star at age 36 last year after posting averages of 13.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists across 32 games. While these might not necessarily be the exact total pay figures for players, we did the best we could directionally. Chicago Sky | F/C | 6-foot-4; 2020 stats: 14.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 4.6 APG; Parker's move from Los Angeles, the team that drafted her first in 2008 . Shes made our list for all the other money shes raked in beyond being a WNBA rock star. Skylar Diggins-Smith - $221,450. Shes racked up quite a resume. The base max salary is $190,550. Who is the highest paid WNBA player in the world right now? Meanwhile, center Griner re-signed with and was cored by Phoenix, and was able to take advantage of the new supermax rules as well. Candace played overseas for 10 seasons, in Russia, Turkey and China. Why? The Larry Bird exception, more commonly known as Bird Rights, allows teams to re-sign a current player only if he has played for that particular team for a minimum of three years. Adding to her wallet, Diana also makes $20,000-$30,000 per speaking engagement. The Suns have clear championship expectations and Bonner will have to play at an elite level if they want to win their first chip. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that many of the richest contracts in WNBA history were signed over the last couple of seasons. Young was the Aces' first overall pick in 2019 and has been critical for the reigning WNBA champions. WNBA stars also earn lucrative endorsement deals worth millions per year off the court. In his sophomore season, he led the Jayhawks to a National Championship win. Young is set to make $252,450 this season.. According to Her Hoop Stats, heres a breakdown of how much rookies drafted in 2022 made this season: According to Spotrac, Rhyne Howard, NaLyssa Smith, Shakira Austin and Emily Engstler, the top four picks in 2022, all have salaries of $72,141. Since the early 2010s, WNBA teams have turned profits without resorting to subsidies. That means the highest paid WNBA players only make about 1.8 times as much as the average WNBA salary. These seven players will each earn a base supermax salary of $221,450 for the 2021 WNBA season. However, in order to help the Storm retain key talent in 2022, Sue took at pay cut down to a mere $72,141. Stewart is currently having an expensive contract deal with Seattle Storm. The lowest paid player for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2020-21 NBA season is Daniel Oturu who will be paid a guaranteed $898,310. Breanna earns approximately $1.5 million per season overseas reported ESPN. 1. The minimum salary for an WNBA player with two years of service will rise from $42,728 annually to $57,000 beginning in 2020. In 2020, the leagues latest collective bargaining agreement bumped the maximum salary for the highest-paid players from $117,500 to $215,000. Here are the top. With the 2021 WNBA season tipping off Friday, we took a look at the league's highest-paid players. She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Which Colleges Have Had The Most NBA Players? Now that youre locked in, lets see the results. However, WNBA teams are just trying to stay afloat because the current market doesnt reward the best teams for winning. The 27-year-old has the 151st-ranked salary in the league at $1,607. Once that happens, WNBA salaries will reach the place where they should be for the entertainment value they are capable of providing. That concerted effort bared its fruit, garnering each member of the team $100,000. In 2019, prior to the new CBA, she capped out at $117,500. Shes also currently a member of Team USA. 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. Liz also plays for Australian and international teams during the WNBA off-season. Highest Paid WNBA Players 5 - Skylar Diggins Smith 4 - DeWanna Bonner 3 - Elena Delle Donne 2 - Breanna Stewart 1 - Jewell Loyd Top 10 Highest Paid WNBA Players Women National Basketball Association is the top tier league which gave a new turn to basketball world by providing opportunity to female athletes to show their talent. Amazingly, in her 13th season, Candace was awarded the coveted 2020 Defensive Player of the Year. Women National Basketball Association is the top tier league which gave a new turn to basketball world by providing opportunity to female athletes to show their talent. The WNBA may be a league on the rise, but its players pay is low. If you buy something from a link on our site, Queen Ballers Club may earn a commission. Hopefully Elena Delle Donne can return to 100% in the near future. [5] Finally, the rookie player exception allows any NBA team to sign their first-round draft pick to a contract based upon a scale previously set forth by the NBA. Speaking about the deal, Breanna said that its bigger than basketball, and that she hopes to have a lasting impact on her younger fans. Her contract salary with the club is $224.870. Three franchises the Dallas Wings, Los Angeles Sparks, and Las Vegas Aces do not have a single player taking home $200,000 or more this season. Due to injuries and other factors, Sue hasnt played overseas since 2014. Plum had a spectacular regular season that even saw her claim the all-star game MVP this year. She is holding the most ludicrous contract deal with WNBAs club. And throughout her enviable career, shes been named a WNBA All-Star four times. And has had deals with State Farm and American Express in the past. Wilson's 2022 campaign will go down as arguably the most dominant season in WNBA history. According to. She signed a two year $463,030 contract last offseason, giving her an annual salary of $231,515. At TheDataJocks, though, we take a starkly different perspective. Breanna Stewart has signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia for 2020, and will return to EuroLeague play this season. So its no mystery why shes one of the leagues top earners. Sue is one of the few WNBA stars who have endorsement deals. 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. In addition to Roc Nation, Skylar also has deals with Sprint and Nike. In 2022, shell make $227,900 from her Phoenix Mercury contract. 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. 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. Even just a small increase in income in the WNBA revenue will lead to more equitable salaries for these players who are the best of the best. Young is set to make $252,450 this season. 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. Yahoo! Well give a quick synopsis of the economic perspective here. Cavinder has endorsement deals with Under Armour, Raising Canes, Intuit TurboTax, and Victoria's Secret PINK. Liz Cambage also endorsed Wilson basketballs as of 2021. Brittney Griners ongoing detention is Russia, This is a great book detailing the history of professional Womens basketball, The Highest WNBA salary is $228,000 while in the NBA its over $45 million. She has also, Breanna Mackenzie Stewart (ne Baldwin; born August 27, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). 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. Also Who is the lowest paid WNBA player? Not only that but the maximum salary a WNBA player could earn almost doubled, from $117,500 to $215,000 in 2020, per ESPN. At the age of 32, Elena is still giving brilliant performance and winning games for her team. Check out all the highest paid WNBA players below, and come back when new WNBA starssign newcontracts to see how their salaries stack up! However, we think the discrepancy is larger than it should be based on viewership and appetite for womens professional sports. As a five star recruit Bailey chose UCLA over a multitude of other schools. uolas Tubelis is a Lithuanian-born player who currently plays for the Arizona Wildcats as a junior power forward and has an NIL value of $787,000.With 10,500 followers on Instagram, 31,000 on TikTok, and 1,100 on Twitter, he is currently part of the Arizona Assist Club.While he has no NIL deals currently, his growing value will likely ensure that he receives some prominent deals in the future. She played college basketball at Notre Dame. Max and supermax players now receive annual 3 percent salary bumps, and by 2027, the salary cap will have grown incrementally by nearly $300,000. Jalen Wilson is a forward for the Kansas University Jayhawks mens basketball team, who has an NIL value of $914,000.Wilson has been a star for the Jayhawks, averaging 11.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in his freshman season. Who is the highest-paid player in the WNBA? Elena. 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. Candace Parker is the first big name to join a new team in free agency. Skylar has as a very successful WNBA career playing basketball at the highest level. Jewell Loyd (born October 5, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Perfumerias Avenida of Spain's Liga Femenina de Baloncesto and the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). A 12 team league cant possibly bring in the same revenue as a 30-team league. We have three points and reasons why we think the average WNBA salary and the league revenue as a whole is set to explode. Three players will earn a league-high $228,094 on WNBA supermax salaries this season. Brittney signed a lucrative endorsement deal with Nike seven years ago in her rookie year. In 2021, Delle Donne earned the updated supermax base salary of $221,450. The NBA salary cap is the maximum dollar amount each NBA team can spend on its players for the season. Next on the list of the highest paid WNBA player in the world is DeWanna Bonner. We arrived at that modest figure by calculating that far more than an average overseas salary of $400,000 equals at least $1 million. Be the first one to comment on this story. 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. Also in the top 10 richest contracts in WNBA history are Storm legend Sue Bird and Mercury star Brittney Griner. weve reduced salary costs to buying wins, Top 10: Who is the Best WNBA Player of All Time? To get to the WNBAlevel,hoopersmust train relentlessly, compete at the highest level, andwin games. To me, this says that viewers are interested in watching womens sports. Shes a 7-time blocks leader, and has won a championship with her team, the Phoenix Mercury. One way to evaluate how well professional womens basketball players are paid is to look at how the WNBA salaries compare to the total income of the league. While the revenue versus player income statistics in the last sections were compelling in and of themselves, our silver bullet in arguing that WNBA players are due for a larger payday is looking at potential league revenue. If you dont give any extra thought to the above numbers, WNBA players make more money relative to their league revenue than NBA players do. Highest-paid WNBA Players of 2022 by Total Salary Dollar figures via Spotrac based on a 2022 salary cap of $1,379,170. While Diana no longer plays overseas, her career there was an extremely lucrative one. As of February, the title of the highest-paid WNBA player belongs to Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces. If not for the remarkably low average WNBA salary, the Ws stars would not be compelled to play in overseas leagues in the offseason. So helping everyone win higher paid overseas contracts and endorsements is actually lucrative for everyone in the long run. Which added $5,150 to her earnings. Valentina Shevchenko vs Alexa Grasso Purse Payouts | What Will be there share in UFC 285 Potential Bonus? Sue has been with Nike since 2003. See the highest and lowest player salaries in the NBA on ESPN.com. The highest paid WNBA players are certainly not paid enough. Her decision came in spite of a panel of league-appointed doctors who would not deem her medically excused from play in the WNBA Bubble, which would have allowed the Mystics to withhold her 2020 salary. A top-WNBA scorer, Skylar has been shooting hoops in the league since 2013. It isnt a surprise nor is it controversial that mens professional sports draw more attention and revenue and therefore the players are paid more. Magic Johnson became the first player to earn $10 million or more in the 94-95 season with a salary of $14,660,000. These seven players. There is simply no reason that womens college basketball should bring in more money than womens professional basketball. Mia Mastrov is one of the highest earning college basketball players, with an NIL value of $375,000.Mastrov is a sophomore guard at the University of California. In 2021, her Las Vegas Aces salary was $221,450. Not only did she win regular season MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, but her team won the Commissioners Cup and the WNBA Finals. Tiffany Hayes ($215,000) is the highest-paid player for the Atlanta Dream for the second consecutive year. 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. As she puts it: Ive never been overseas to play.