WNBA player salaries has become a topic in the spotlight recently. It has been reported that some men’s college basketball players earn higher salaries than WNBA players.
However, the league is seeing expansion, and with some of the biggest basketball players in the WNBA entering the draft, things may see a change in the coming years.
WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark will reportedly make $76,000 in base salary this season. However, that number can rise up to more than $500,000 at the start of next.
Another star rookie Angel Reese’s salary is listed at $73,439 but like Caitlin Clark the Sky rookie will attract huge numbers in years to come.
Here are the top 10 highest-paid WNBA players of 2024.
10. Alyssa Thomas – Connecticut
Connecticut star earns an annual salary of $209,000. Thomas joined Sun in 2014. She has four All-Star selections and two All-Defensive First-Team selections to her name.
She was also the leader in the total steels of 2020 season which earned her a contract extension by the Sun in 2021.
9. Skylar Diggins-Smith – Seattle
Skylar Diggins-Smith earns an annual salary of $211,343 with the Seattle Storm. She enjoyed a successful NCAA career she was taken No. 3 overall in 2013.
She has been a part of six All-Star teams and recently signed a two-year extension with the Storm which put him in the 9th spot of highest-paid athletes of the WNBA.
8. Brionna Jones – Connecticut
Brionna Jones earns an annual salary of $212,000 with Connecticut. Drafter by Sun in 2017, she had a difficult start to life in the WNBA.
However, the breakthrough season in 2020 earned her the Most Improved Player award underlining her will to succeed at the highest level.
7. Erica Wheeler – Indiana
Erica Wheeler earns an annual salary of $222,154 with the Indiana Fever. After failing to find suitors in the 2015 draft, she earned a lucrative two-year deal with Indiana and became one of the top earners in the league.
Her enthusiasm and never-give-up attitude is a testament to her success. Her experience and leadership are key to the development of a very young Fever team.
6. Natasha Howard – Dallas
Natasha Howard earns $224,675 annually with Dallas. She has two WNBA titles to her name, one of which is with Minnesota and two with Seattle.
She is regarded as one of the best defenders in the league currently and has been named in two All-Defensive First teams. She also won the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019.
5. Diana Taurasi – Phoenix
Diana Taurasi was drafted by Pheonix in 2004 and earns an annual salary of $234,936 in 2024. In the eyes of many, she is the greatest defender in WNBA history.
Taurasi has won three WNBA titles and was the WNBA finals MVP twice. She is also a 10-time All-Star in the WNBA and a five-time scoring champion.
4. Arike Ogunbowale – Dallas
Arike Ogunbowale earns $241,984 annually with Dallas. She was a well-known name at Notre Dame at the NCAA level and continued with that tag in the WNBA.
She is a three-time All-Star and won the All-Star Game MVP in 2021. She recently signed a 3-year contract extension with the Wings.
3. Kahleah Copper – Phoenix
Kahleah Copper earns an annual salary of $245,059 with Phoenix. She struggled in the first four seasons of her WNBA career but her fortune changed from the fifth season when she played for Chicago Sky.
She helped Sky to win the WNBA Finals in 2021 winning WNBA Finals MVP. She was then traded to Phoenix in an undisclosed contract.
2. Jewell Loyd – Seattle
Jewell Loyd earns an annual salary of $245,508 with Storm. She was the number one pick for Seattle in the 2015 draft where she established herself as one of the best scorers in the league.
She was the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2015 and won the WNBA Peak Performer award in 2023. She also has two WNBA titles to her name.
1. Jackie Young – Las Vegas
Jackie Young is one of the biggest rising stars of the WNBA and earns an annual salary of $252,450. She was the first overall draft in 2019 and lived up to her expectations.
She won the Most Improved Player award in 2022 and is one of the integral part of Aces’ success. She won two consecutive WNBA titles and a two-year extension with Aces made her the highest-paid player in the WNBA currently.
Read More: Who is Leading The WNBA PPG, Rebounds and Assists So Far?
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
