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Recently, the WNBA announced its new collective bargaining agreement that will allow players to be paid much more than ever before. The decision following weeks of negotiations ended the threat of a lockout that could have impacted the upcoming 2026 WNBA season.
Now, more information is coming to light on how much players can now expect to be paid, including whoever ends up being selected number one in the upcoming WNBA Draft.
“The WNBA’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft will earn a base salary of $500,000 in year one and more than $2.2 million over their entire 4-year rookie scale contract,” reported Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports on X, formerly Twitter.
For context, last year’s number one overall draft pick, Paige Bueckers out of UConn, made $78,831 during her rookie season, giving this year’s number one pick a 6x bump from that figure.
Costabile also reported that “the second overall pick will earn $466,913 and the last pick of the first round, No. 15, will earn $289,133,” while all other draft picks will earn the rookie minimum, which is set at $270,000.
It’s certainly a huge win for WNBA players and fans alike, and signals a new era for the future of women’s professional basketball. The league has seen a huge uptick in popularity over the last couple of seasons thanks to the emergence of new stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and now Bueckers, who enjoyed an outstanding rookie season in Dallas.
As the league continues to expand and its profile keeps growing, financial compensation for the players should only continue to increase in future years.
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