The average WNBA salary is expected to be around $583,000 in 2026, a massive jump from previous seasons. A new collective bargaining agreement that took effect for the 2026 season overhauled the league’s pay structure, introducing the first comprehensive revenue-sharing model in women’s professional sports. That model ties player compensation directly to league and team revenue growth, meaning salaries will climb as the league earns more.
How the New CBA Changed Pay
The seven-year CBA covers 2026 through 2032 and is projected to deliver more than $1 billion in total player salaries and benefits over that span. The deal replaced the old fixed-pay system with a revenue-sharing structure that has no ceiling on what players can earn collectively. As broadcast deals, sponsorships, and ticket revenue grow, so does the salary pool.
The league projects the average salary will rise from roughly $583,000 in 2026 to over $1 million by 2032. Maximum-contract players, currently earning $1.4 million, are projected to reach more than $2.4 million by the final year of the agreement. Those figures will adjust annually based on actual revenue, so stronger-than-expected growth could push them higher.
Salary Range: Minimum to Maximum
The minimum salary sits around $300,000 once revenue is factored in, while the maximum tops out at $1.4 million for 2026. That means the gap between the lowest-paid and highest-paid players on base salary alone is roughly $1.1 million. Players earning the supermax in 2026 include A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, and Kelsey Mitchell, each with a cap hit of $1.4 million.
What Rookies Earn
Rookie salaries follow a draft-slot scale, with pay decreasing as pick numbers rise. The first overall pick in 2026 earns a first-year salary of $500,000, while the second pick earns about $467,000 and the third roughly $436,000. Pay steps down through the first round until it hits a flat rate of $289,133 for picks 10 through 12.
Here’s how the 2026 first-round rookie scale breaks down:
- Pick 1: $500,000
- Pick 2: $466,913
- Pick 3: $436,016
- Pick 4: $407,163
- Picks 5–9: $289,133 to $380,219, stepping down with each pick
- Picks 10–12: $289,133 (flat rate)
Even the lowest first-round salary now approaches $290,000, which is close to the league-wide minimum. That’s a significant shift from earlier eras when rookies earned well under six figures.
Team Salary Cap and Roster Size
The 2026 team salary cap is set at $7.0 million, and it will adjust each year based on revenue growth. Teams carry a minimum roster of 12 players, plus two additional developmental roster spots. Spreading a $7 million cap across 12 to 14 players gives you a rough sense of how teams budget: a couple of max contracts eat up a large share, while the rest of the roster fills in closer to the minimum.
Because the cap rises with revenue, teams won’t be locked into the same spending ceiling year after year. A strong revenue cycle could open up significantly more room to pay players across the roster.
How WNBA Pay Has Grown
The jump to a $583,000 average salary represents a dramatic shift. Before the 2026 CBA, the league’s top base salary was well under $300,000, and most players supplemented their income by playing overseas during the offseason. The new revenue-sharing model, powered in part by expanded media rights deals, changed the financial math for the entire league.
With the average salary projected to cross $1 million by 2032 and max contracts potentially exceeding $2.4 million, the financial incentive to stay in the WNBA year-round is stronger than ever. Players who previously spent half the year competing in European or Asian leagues now have less economic reason to do so, which could reshape how rosters are built and how players manage their careers over time.