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Currently, WNBA players are fighting for a new collective bargaining agreement in hopes of earning what they’re worth when the 2026 season rolls around. As it stands right now, a one-year league minimum contract pays players $64,154, while a max contract pays players $241,948 annually.
Reigning Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, for example, is on a four-year deal that paid her $76,535 last season and will pay her $78,066 during the 2025 season. The way Jeff Schwartz, who founded Excel Sports Management, the group that represents Clark, sees things, the amount WNBA players are paid is unfair.
With minimum NBA contracts paying $1.15 million annually, and max deals paying players upwards of $50 million a year, the difference in pay can’t be ignored. As CNBC’s Jessica Golden pointed out, female professional pickleball players are now averaging $260,000 per year, further highlighting the WNBA’s low pay.
While many point to the league failing to turn a profit, the way Schwartz sees things, international teams, and the Unrivaled league, are two examples of why players should make more.
During an interview with CNBC Sports, he called The W’s pay “ridiculous.”
“It is ridiculous what the women are getting paid now in the WNBA,” Schwartz said. “Especially when you see what’s happened with Unrivaled, which has been great for the women, and also what women make in Europe when they go play in Europe.
“The WNBA has to figure this out or the women themselves, I don’t know if another league would start, but something has to change from where the salaries are because it’s blatantly unfair.”
Looking at the difference between what WNBA players make and what players in Unrivlaed make
As previously mentioned, The W’s annual minimum salary is $64,154, while max-contract players make $241,948 annually. During the offseason, many players who don’t make enough from their WNBA contracts and off-court endorsements go and play overseas.
This offseason, however, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier’s Unrivaled league has allowed numerous players who otherwise would have spent their offseasons abroad to compete in Miami.
According to CBS Sports, the average player salary in Unrivaled is over $200,000. According to ESPN, the salaries haven’t been disclosed publicly by league execs, however, players have an equal share in a salary pool, and certain players even have equity in the league.
For those who don’t play in Unrivaled during The W’s offseason like Chennedy Carter, the offseason sees them head overseas. There, according to NBC News, they can make three to four times their base salary thanks to leagues in China, Russia and Turkey.
Edited by Akshay Saraswat
