WNBA’s Highest Salary: Biggest Contracts in History

In recent years, the WNBA has significantly grown its fanbase, attracting more basketball enthusiasts. In particular, its popularity has increased significantly over the last year due to the participation of some of its top players in the league, such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, and others. 

Although the league is not making money yet, teams still give lucrative contracts to their top players without any financial issues. The WNBA’s current highest contract still hasn’t reached a total value of seven figures, but with the league’s growing popularity and revenue, that could become a reality in the near future. 

When it first began, the WNBA had challenges in realizing equal financial security for itself with its male counterpart, the NBA. Low starting salaries were often a reflection of the league’s limited television deals and sponsorship revenues. However, with age comes more drastic changes in scenery, and the WNBA is no exception, especially concerning player compensation, which has increased significantly because of more viewers, more media exposure, and more admirers in the latter years.

The CBA granted the league some higher minimum salaries, better benefits, and lucrative player deals in 2020. The players also enjoy bonuses for good performance of a team or outstanding achievements by a player, which has increased motivation for a good game.

These changes have led to a drastic increase in top salaries in the league and dramatically highlight just how sharp players with high marketability are. Also, WNBA players have displayed their varied basketball skills during games, resulting in them securing substantial contracts. The top ten largest contracts ever signed in the history of the WNBA are listed below.

Top Players with the Highest Salary in WNBA History

DeWanna Bonner ($899,480)

DeWanna Bonner holds the largest contract ever in the WNBA, valued at $899,480. 

Bonner was the initial player to sign her contract since she made her first appearance before the other two players. She was selected as the fifth overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury and claimed two championships with the team in her rookie season (2009) and in 2014. She is currently in the final stages of her career, where she competes for the Connecticut Sun. 

Her large agreement was from a previous period, during her time with the Mercury. She currently has a one-year, $200,000 contract with the Sun and is playing for them.

Elena Delle Donne ($899,200)

Elena Delle Donne’s contract in the WNBA is the second-highest ever, valued at $899,200, just under Bonner’s. Donne was selected by the Chicago Sky as the second overall pick in the 2013 draft. 

In 2014, she guided the team to the Finals, but they lost to Bonner and the Mercury. In 2017, she was later acquired by the Washington Mystics, and in 2019, two years later, she would become a champion with them.

Also Read: WNBA All-Time Triple-Double Leaders

Skylar Diggins-Smith ($899,000)

Skylar Diggins-Smith was selected in the 2013 WNBA Draft shortly after Donne, joining the Tulsa Shock, which is now known as the Dallas Wings. In March 2016, shortly after the Shock rebranded to the Wings, Smith agreed to a contract extension with them that turned out to be a maximum deal. 

Following her stint with the Wings, Smith was picked up by the Mercury in 2020, and now she is on the roster of the Seattle Storm. Smith, one of the WNBA’s most accomplished players, has achieved All-Star status six times but has not yet claimed a championship.

Natasha Howard ($898,700)

Natasha Howard’s contract ranks as the second-largest in WNBA history, totaling $898,700. It is a contract that was signed for four years in 2021, and it is currently the highest active contract in the WNBA. 

Howard was selected by the Indiana Fever in 2014 but achieved greater success after being traded to the Minnesota Lynx in 2017. She achieved a championship with them in 2018 before being traded to the Storm, where she secured another title in the same year. 

In 2021, she agreed to a four-year deal with the New York Liberty for $898,700, averaging $224,675 per year (though not the highest, which is held by Jackie Young). After only two years, she was transferred to the Dallas Wings, where she is currently active. 

Also Read: Who is Paige Bueckers? A Rising Star in Women’s Basketball

Alyssa Thomas ($836,000)

Alyssa Thomas has the third-highest contract in WNBA history, valued at $836,000. Currently on the Connecticut Sun’s roster, Thomas has been selected to the All-Star team four times, leads the league in steals, and has won the rebounding title. 

Thomas was selected by the Liberty in 2014, but was then exchanged to the Sun on the same day and has stayed there ever since. In 2018, she renewed her contract with the Sun for multiple years, and later in 2021, she signed a new lucrative four-year deal like Natasha Howard’s.

Arike Ogunbowale ($725,952)

Arike Ogunbowale signed the fourth-highest contract in WNBA history last year in 2023, which is currently still in effect. The agreement is a three-year contract scheduled to end at the conclusion of the 2025 season. Similar to Natasha Howard, Ogunbowale is also under contract with the Dallas Wings. 

The Wings selected her as the fifth pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft, and she has remained with the team since then. During the previous season, Ogunbowale had an average of 23.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 36.5 from the field and 34.5 from three-point range.

Also Read: Highest Paid WNBA Player in 2024: Top Salaries

Sue Bird ($673,000)

Sue Bird, a legendary figure in the history of women’s basketball, was a dominant force in the Seattle Storm for twenty seasons. She is the only WNBA player to win four titles with the Seattle Storm in three separate decades. She possessed the fourth-highest contract in the history of the company. 

In February 2016, Bird had guided the Storm to championship victories in 2004 and 2010. That is when she agreed to the large contract offer to come back to the Storm, resulting in benefits for both her and the team. In 2018 and 2020, they would win two additional titles, and in 2022, she retired as a legend of the league.

Brittney Griner($664,544)

Thinking about Brittney Griner inevitably brings up her highly-debated imprisonment in a Russian jail throughout most of 2022. However, Griner solidified her status as one of the top players in the league through her performance on the court, which is why she earned a substantial contract. 

In 2013, she was chosen as the top overall pick by the Mercury and guided them to a championship in 2014. In 2015, she was placed on suspension for domestic violence and didn’t play at all in 2022 because she was in jail. 

However, it was in 2017 that she sealed the deal with the Mercury by signing a multi-year contract worth $664,554, all thanks to her exceptional basketball abilities, which have earned her ten All-Star appearances. She is presently engaged in playing for the Mercury under a one-year agreement worth $150,000.

Marina Mabrey ($620,000)

Marina Mabrey holds the ninth-highest contract in WNBA history and the fourth-highest among active contracts. She started playing for the Sparks in 2019 and was swapped to the Dallas Wings in 2022. 

As part of a four-team trade in 2023, she was sent to the Chicago Sky. In the 2023 offseason, she inked a $620,000 three-year deal that will be in effect until 2026. It ranks as the ninth highest-paid deal in WNBA history and the fourth most lucrative current contract.

Kelsey Mitchell ($618,000)

Kelsey Mitchell’s contract ranks among the top 10 biggest in the WNBA. The Indiana Fever guard signed a $618,000 contract in 2022 that will last for three years until 2025. 

The Indiana Fever selected the two-time All-Star in 2023 and 2024 as the second overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft. In that same year, she first appeared for the team and has been a strong presence in the league ever since, which led to her signing the contract to stay with the Fever as one of the highest-paid players in the league.

Conclusion

When the highest-paid and biggest deals are checked in WNBA history, then it becomes certain that the league is definitely moving forward positively. The likes of DeWanna Bonner, Elena Delle Donne, Natasha Howard, and Alyssa Thomas are changing the public’s minds about professional athletes as well as paving the way for women in sports ahead. This points to an investment made in the financial sense in them, which showcases their talent and brings forth the growing acknowledgment of women’s basketball to a tremendous presence in the sports world.

The road ahead for the WNBA and its players is very long, with more young athletes emerging who hold endless potential for increased salaries and larger contracts. In the future, exciting advances will emerge for the athletes and their supporters as a result of the shifting environment.

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