Unequal Paydays: Why Rookie Contracts in Men’s and Women’s Sports Are Still Worlds Apart

Elizabeth MacBey
Jul 9
4 min read

When the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick signs his rookie contract this June, he'll make $13.8 million in his first year alone. Across the court, WNBA No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers will earn just $78,831 for the entire season.

At the top end, Golden State’s Stephen Curry brought home $55.8 million last season, while the highest-paid WNBA player, Jackie Young, earned less than half a million dollars.

And it’s not just basketball. Soccer, hockey, and nearly every major pro sport tell the same story.

So, how did we get here—and why are women still earning pennies on the dollar for doing the same job?

2025: A Defining Year for Women’s Sports

2025 is a turning point. Viewership is skyrocketing, new fans are tuning in, and women’s sports are everywhere you look—welcome to the party.

But for the WNBA, 2025 carries a little extra weight. It’s the final season under the league’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA). And with that comes the pressure to finally pay players what they’re worth.

It’s game time for WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike, who’s leading the charge.

Of course, a salary bump is on the table. But what the players really want is a bigger piece of the business they are building brick by brick—or bucket by bucket.

Reports suggest salaries could jump dramatically, with projections of a $1 million supermax deal—up from the current $249,244. But these players are financially smart. They’re not stopping at bigger paychecks. They’re playing the long game.

They want revenue sharing.

Revenue sharing is the foundation of modern pro sports. But the WNBA’s current CBA caps what players can earn by limiting them to a small percentage of league revenue, creating a system where players drive growth—but see only a sliver of the rewards.

The Numbers: A Different League

The contrast is staggering:

WNBA rookie Paige Bueckers: four years, $348,198 total, starting at $78,831 in 2025.
NBA rookie (2025 projection): four years, $62.7 million, including $13.8 million in Year 1.

Courtesy of Kevin Jairaj / Imagn Images via Reuter

In soccer:

Lionel Messi earned $20.5 million in guaranteed MLS salary—plus team equity pushing his total to $60 million.
NWSL players cap out around $500,000.

In hockey:

Auston Matthews made $16.7 million this season.
PWHL players top out at $80,000, bonuses included.

The average WNBA salary in 2024? Just $120,000, compared to the NBA’s $9.5 million average.

Why the Gap Exists: Revenue, Yes. Investment, No.

The classic excuse is revenue.

The NBA generates about $387 million per team. The WNBA? Around $18 million per team last year.

But here’s the problem: revenue doesn’t appear out of thin air. It comes from decades of marketing, media deals, and corporate investment—all things women’s leagues were historically denied.

Now that the WNBA is finally gaining momentum, players like Breanna Stewart and Satou Sabally are calling out the hypocrisy. Despite breaking viewership records and dominating social media, the league’s first CBA proposal reportedly ignored the players’ key asks—leaving them frustrated and fed up.

Leagues Are Businesses—So Where’s the Pay?

Let’s be clear: sports leagues are businesses. Their job is to build a product—the league—and share the profits with the people creating the value: the athletes.

For young leagues like the PWHL, the math makes sense. Incredible hockey, but still building its audience and revenue base. Salaries reflect that they’re in the early stages of growth.

But the WNBA?

This isn’t a startup anymore:

Viewership is breaking records, sometimes even outpacing NBA broadcasts.
Players like Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, and Paige Bueckers are cultural icons with global fanbases.
Sponsorship money is flowing in like never before.

So why are salaries still lagging behind?

The disconnect got so bad that Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier launched their own offseason league—Unrivaled—where players make over $200,000 in just two months.

Think about that: two current WNBA stars had to start a side league to pay players more than their full-time employer does.

If the WNBA is cashing in on media deals and brand partnerships, why aren’t the players—the faces of the league—seeing a bigger cut?

That’s exactly what Nneka Ogwumike and the WNBPA are trying to fix in the new CBA.

The Extra Hustle: Where Players Really Earn

The harsh reality? WNBA salaries are often just a fraction of a player’s income.

Take Caitlin Clark:

She earned about $100,000 in WNBA salary and bonuses in 2024.
But her total earnings hit $11.1 million, thanks to sponsorships—meaning 99% of her income came from off-court deals.

Or Paige Bueckers, who signed with Verizon, Gatorade, and others before she even turned pro. Her equity stake in Unrivaled alone could pay her more than her four-year WNBA rookie contract.

To make it harder, WNBA rookies aren’t even eligible for the league’s Player Marketing Agreements (PMAs)—which can pay up to $250,000—until after their first season.

What’s at Stake: More Than Money

This fight isn’t just about bigger paychecks.

Low rookie salaries force players to:

Play overseas in the offseason, risking burnout and injury.
Delay going pro, as some NCAA stars did this year, hoping for better paydays ahead.
Walk away from the sport early because financially, it just doesn’t add up.

And if negotiations stall, a 2026 work stoppage is very much on the table.

How to Close the Gap

Revenue sharing: Players deserve their fair cut when business is booming.
Stronger CBAs: Contracts need to reflect the league’s rapid growth.
Investment, not excuses: If fans and sponsors are showing up, it’s time owners do too.
Visibility drives value: More coverage means more fans—and more dollars for everyone.

The truth is, fans have shown up. Sponsors have shown up. It’s time for ownership and league leadership to step up too.