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The Salary of Female Basketball Players

In 1996, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) debuted with the slogan "We Got Next." The league's motto became "Expect Great." in 2008. Since its inception, the WNBA has been, and continues to be, the most prestigious professional league for women basketball players. Other female professional basketball players play in foreign leagues in Europe. Since college athletes are not paid, only professional female basketball players earn a salary.

  1. WNBA Players

    • According to an April 2003 article for Womensenews.org, Sue Reisinger reports that the average salary for a WNBA player is $55,000 for a four-month season. Top players earn as much as $80,000 per season. The league's collective bargaining agreement calls for a four percent increase in salaries each year following the 2003 season. However, the minimum salary according to the league's 2011 collective bargaining agreement is $37,000 for players with less than two years experience. This number will rise slightly to almost $38,000 in 2012. In comparison, players with three or more years experience earn an annual salary of $53,000 as of 2011. This number is expected to increase to $55,000 in 2013.

    WNBA Player Bonuses

    • While WNBA salaries are much lower than those of their male counterparts in the NBA, WNBA players can earn extra money via bonuses through the league's collective bargaining agreement. Winners of the the league championship earn a bonus of $10,500 while championship losers earn a $5,250 bonus. Teams that make the semifinals and quarterfinals earn players an additional $2,625 and $1,050 respectively. Similarly, the league's most valuable player earns an additional $15,000 while the league's most improved player and best defensive player earn an extra $5,000. Those selected to the All-Star game earn an extra $2,500.

    Women Overseas

    • Since the WNBA season runs from approximately May to August each year, many of its players play overseas during the off seasons. Jim Caple, in his article for Espn.com titled "Rolling in Rubles," reports that several WNBA players including Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird earn much higher salaries and receive better perks playing overseas. Taurasi's $49,000 annual salary from the WNBA pales compared to the $500,000 she earns playing for Spartak Moscow of the Russian Pro League. Bird's salary with the same team is four times higher than the $93,000 she makes in the WNBA. While every female player is not given these salaries, WNBA salaries are generally lower than those of foreign leagues.

    Female vs Male Salaries

    • Legendary WNBA player Lisa Leslie, who retired in 2009, ended her career making the league maximum at $91,000 annually. Another retired star, Sheryl Swoopes, ended her career earning close to $100,000 annually. Current WNBA star Candace Parker is reported to make the most money ever by a WNBA player, with endorsements that will earn her about 3 million dollars annually. Still, salaries for male professional basketball players are exponentially higher. By comparison, top NBA players such as Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade earn $24.8 million, $14 million and $14 million respectively. Each of these players earn many more million dollars annually through endorsement deals with multimedia companies, athletic apparel companies and guest appearances.

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