The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) consists of twelve teams in 2024, featuring some of the most remarkable female athletes in the world. And the reported earnings of the 20 highest-paid WNBA players clearly reflect these athletes’ dedication to their sport. But are they fairly compensated compared to their NBA counterparts? In this article, we answer this question by investigating the 2024 salaries of the 20 highest-paid WNBA players. Let’s take a closer look at the figures to find out just how much the top WNBA players made this past season.
20 Highest Paid WNBA Players in 2023–24
Looking at the 20 highest-paid WNBA players in the 2023–24 season, we see over a third are paid $220,000 per year or more. It’s a far cry from their NBA counterparts, many of whom made upwards of $50 million a year. Still, six figures a year is nothing to scoff at! Even more interestingly, 1 in 5 of the 20 highest-paid WNBA players represented the US at the Olympics. Let’s see who these women are and how much they make, as per the most recent figures published on NBC.
20. Ariel Atkins ($200,000/year)
Washington Mystics shooting guard Ariel Atkins kickstarts our list as the 20th highest-paid WNBA player for the season. She currently has six years of WNBA experience under her belt, and her reported salary for the 2024 season is $200,000.
19. Kelsey Plum ($200,000/year)
Kelsey Plum comes in next with a reported salary of $200,000/year for the 2024 season. She’s also one of the most prolific players on the list, being the second-highest all-time leading point scorer in women’s NCAA college basketball.
18. DeWanna Bonner ($200,000/year)
The 36-year-old star of the Connecticut Sun comes next on our list with a reported yearly salary on par with Ariel Atkins’s and Kelsey Plum’s.
17. A’ja Wilson ($200,000/year)
The 27-year-old power forward A’ja Wilson is yet another Las Vegas Aces player featured among last season’s top earners.
16. Nneka Ogwumike ($204,500/year)
Power forward Nneka Ogwumike marks the first Seattle Storm player on our list. The 33-year-old joined the Seattle team in February 2024 for one year. But she initially entered the WNBA after being drafted as the first pick by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2012.
15. Breanna Stewart ($205,000/year)
Breaking into the top 15, we have the 29-year-old Breanna Stewart who plays as a power forward for the New York Liberty and Fenerbahçe S.K. Her 2024 salary is $205,000, according to NBC.
14. Sabrina Ionescu ($205,030/year)
26-year-old point guard Sabrina Ionescu is the youngest athlete and the second New York Liberty player on our list. She currently has only four years of experience in the WNBA but has already been a two-time WNBA All-Star in 2022 and 2023.
13. Kelsey Mitchell ($206,000/year)
28-year-old Kelsey Mitchell started her basketball career playing for the Ohio State University Team, the Buckeyes, from which she graduated in 2018. Before joining her current team, she also played for the Egyptian Al Ahly basketball club.
12. Kayla McBride ($206,500/year)
Kayla McBride is currently the shooting guard for the Minnesota Lynx and Fenerbahçe S.K. When in college, she led the Fighting Irish of the University of Notre Dame to three NCAA championship appearances in the 2010–2011, 2011–2012, and 2013–2014 seasons.
11. Marina Mabrey ($206,667/year)
The only Chicago Sky player on our list is the 27-year-old shooting guard Marina Mabrey. Like Kayla McBride, she’s also an alumna of the University of Notre Dame.
10. Alyssa Thomas ($209,000/year)
Alyssa Thomas opens up our top ten highest-paid WNBA players thanks to her reported salary of $209,000/year. The 32-year-old athlete plays as a power forward for the Connecticut Sun, and she’s been with the team for ten years since her WNBA draft.
9. Skylar Diggins-Smith ($211,340/year)
Skylar Diggins-Smith makes the third former player for the Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish featuring on our list.
8. Brionna Jones ($212,000/year)
28-year-old power forward Brionna Jones is another Connecticut Sun star to make our list. She played for the University of Maryland Terrapins before being drafted in the WNBA in 2017 by the Sun. She also plays for the Czech USK Prague club.
7. Erica Wheeler ($222,150/year)
32-year-old point guard and shooting guard Erica Wheeler is the second Indiana Fever player to make the top best-paid WNBA players ranking.
6. Natasha Howard ($224,680/year)
Natasha Howard plays as a power forward for the Dallas Wings. The 32-year-old athlete started her basketball career in college when she played for Florida State University.
Breaking Into the Top 5
We’re now breaking into the top 5 highest-paid WNBA players, though surprisingly, the wage difference between #20 and #1 on this list is not that high.
5. Diana Taurasi ($234,940/year)
Opening up the top five is the oldest WNBA athlete on our list, 41-year-old Diana Taurasi.
4. Arike Ogunbowale ($241,980/year)
Arike Ogunbowale comes two spots ahead of her Dallas Wings teammate, Natasha Howard, but she’s also been with the team a lot longer. The 27-year-old point guard was drafted by the Wings in 2019 as a fifth pick, and has been playing for them ever since.
3. Kahleah Copper ($245,060/year)
This 29-year-old athlete plays as a shooting guard and small forward for the Phoenix Mercury. She is also Diana Taurasi’s teammate, although she only joined the PHO in 2024.
2. Jewell Lloyd ($245,500/year)
Jewell Lloyd, the 30-year-old Seattle Storm point guard and shooting guard, is yet another Fighting Irish alumnus on our list.
1. Jackie Young ($252,450/year)
Jackie Young is the best-paid WNBA athlete this season. She currently earns $252,450/year, just slightly above the median $230k/year across the top 10 WNBA salaries.
What is the Highest Paying WNBA Team?
According to Spotrac, in 2024, the Connecticut Sun currently has the highest total cap for its players’ salaries. Home team to DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, and Brionna Jones, The Sun’s cap is at $1,443,840. The Connecticut team is closely followed by the Los Angeles Sparks, the former team of Nneka Ogwumike, which boasts a cap of $1,427,870.
How Much Can a WNBA Rookie Be Expected to Make?
In short, the salary of a WNBA rookie depends on their draft position. Typically, the highest salaries go to the first four picks, and the remuneration goes down from there. In 2024, the first-year base salary has the top four rookie picks making $76,540/year.
How Much Does Brittney Griner Make?
Although a phenomenal player with incredible achievements, such as two Olympic gold medals, Griner’s 2024 salary is a modest $150,000, as reported by NBC. She’s also been off the field for a while, and recently returned to the WNBA after a short absence.
Who’s the Lowest Paid Player in the WNBA?
The rookies that get picked 25th-36th are some of the lowest-paid WNBA athletes. Their 2024 salary is $64,150/year, considerably lower compared to the first four picks. Several rookies earn this salary, however, and it’s not possible to say whether any of them make less than that. Some of these rookies are Nastja Claessens and Txell Aalarcon of the Washington Mystics.
Concluding Thoughts
As you can see from these figures, there’s still a lot of work to be done to bridge the gender pay gap between the NBA and the WNBA players. We look forward to seeing both franchises address this issue in the future, and we hope that in our 2025 article about the highest-paid WNBA players, the differences won’t be as stark.
This article showcased the salaries of the most prolific WNBA players.
