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Money talks. In the WNBA, it whispers loudly. The gap between the league’s best and the rest has never been wider. A handful of elite stars are pulling in eye-watering contracts. Meanwhile, the majority of the roster fights for basic security.
We tracked the numbers. The list below reflects the current peak earners. These are the athletes commanding the absolute maximum under the new CBA.
The New Financial Frontier
The collective bargaining agreement of 2023 changed everything. Salary caps rose. Minimum pay jumped significantly. But the top of the pyramid? That’s where the real story lies.
A max-level veteran now pulls a salary that rivals veteran NBA rotation players. The math is staggering when you compare total cash earned on the court alone.
1. Breanna Stewart
Stewart sits at the very peak. She commands the highest single-year payout in league history. Her contract with the New York Liberty reflects her status as a transcendent talent.
Salary: $228,094 (Full Season) / $242,574 (Maxed Out with Bonuses).
2. A'ja Wilson
The Las Vegas Aces superstar anchors the league’s most dominant dynasty. Wilson’s compensation mirrors her consistent MVP-level production. She is the engine of a franchise built to win championships.
Salary: $217,774 (Full Season) / $230,000+ (Peak Earnings).
3. Sabrina Ionescu
Ionescu’s rise has been meteoric. The New York Liberty guard earns a massive sum for her playmaking and clutch shooting. Her leadership translates directly into her compensation tier.
Salary: $211,328 (Full Season).
4. Kelsey Plum
The Las Vegas Aces point guard is a scoring machine. Plum’s offensive output justifies her spot among the elite earners. She puts up numbers that demand a massive contract.
Salary: $211,328 (Full Season).
5. Jewell Loyd
Seattle storm fans know her as a pure scorer. Loyd’s contract reflects her ability to take over games in the fourth quarter. She is a high-usage star who gets paid accordingly.
Salary: $211,328 (Full Season).
6. Diana Taurasi
The retirement clock ticks for Taurasi, but she remains a top earner. The Phoenix Mercury legend still commands a massive paycheck. Her legacy status is cemented in her final lucrative seasons.
Salary: $200,000+ (Contract Year).
7. Skylar Diggins-Smith
Diggins-Smith returned to the Dallas Wings with a lucrative deal. Her veteran presence and playoff pedigree command top dollar. She is a proven commodity in the league.
Salary: $190,000+ (Contract Year).
8. Courtney Vandersloot
The Chicago Sky point guard redefined her value. Vandersloot’s assists and championship pedigree put her in this tier. Her salary reflects a two-way impact player at the very top.
Salary: $190,000+ (Contract Year).
9. Jonquel Jones
Jones has become a central piece for the Connecticut Sun. Her length and rebounding are rare commodities. The Sun pay her like the defensive anchor she is.
Salary: $180,000+ (Contract Year).
10. Chelsea Gray
The Las Vegas Aces veteran brings elite basketball IQ. Gray’s consistency keeps her among the highest-paid guards. Her contract is a solid reflection of her steady, high-level play.
Salary: $180,000+ (Contract Year).
The Salary Cap Reality
The max salary in the WNBA still does not compare to the minimum salary in the NBA. A top WNBA star earns roughly what a third-string NBA bench player makes. This reality sparks endless debates about revenue sharing and media deals.
The top 10 earners represent the absolute ceiling under current rules. Their contracts often span multiple years with built-in incentives. These players also generate significant income through overseas leagues during the off-season.
Why the Top Earners Make So Much
The WNBA salary scale is performance-tiered. Years of service and All-Star selections push players into higher brackets. The top 10 all fall into the league’s highest earners category.
They bring in sponsorships and sellout crowds. Their marketability drives the league’s overall brand value. The CBA explicitly rewards tenure and elite performance with these massive paychecks.
Beyond the Base Paycheck
Base salary is only part of the picture. Many top players earn significant money abroad in China, Turkey, or Australia. The WNBA season is short, so the offseason is a massive earning opportunity.
Endorsement deals further inflate the income for this elite group. The top 10 WNBA salaries include off-court revenue that the average player never sees. This split creates a financial tier system within the league itself.
The Pay Gap Conversation
Fans often ask why the top WNBA salaries are still so low compared to men’s sports. The answer is simple: revenue. The WNBA generates a fraction of the NBA’s total income.
Until media rights deals match the viewership numbers, the paychecks will remain a fraction. But for the players on this list, they are winning the financial argument within the league structure. They are the highest-paid women’s basketball players on earth.
Who Takes Home the Most?
Breanna Stewart’s name appears at the top of every list. Her contract is the blueprint for the modern WNBA max deal. She combines on-court dominance with massive market appeal.
The New York Liberty built their core around a top-shelf salary figure. This strategy is becoming the standard for championship-contending franchises. You cannot win without paying your stars what they are worth.
What About the Rest of the Roster?
For every player making $200,000 or more, there are ten others scraping by on the minimum salary. The new CBA raised the minimum to $63,000 for rookies. Still, many players rely on summer jobs and housing stipends to survive.
The top 10 wnba salaries represent a tiny fraction of the league. The financial disparity within the WNBA is as stark as the one between the WNBA and the NBA.
Final Thoughts on the Top Earners
The top 10 WNBA salaries reflect a league in transition. These players are paid more than ever before. Yet, the gap between them and their teammates remains enormous.
If you want to track these numbers, the official WNBA salary information updates regularly during the offseason. For a deeper breakdown of the salary cap and how teams manage these massive contracts, check the official rules at WNBA Salary Cap Rules.
The conversation about women’s sports pay is far from over. The top earners are leading the charge. Their bank balances are the best argument for equal investment in women’s professional athletics.