WNBA
Who Is the Highest-Paid WNBA Player in 2023?
Published07 Sep 2023
Though the league has some of the world’s best athletes frequenting the hardwood, the highest-paid WNBA player makes a pittance compared to her NBA counterparts. The gap has at least been narrowing in recent seasons, though, as the leading salaries push well past the bare minimum of six-figure territory.
Here’s a look at the 10 highest-paid WNBA players of 2023, using total cash earned as the barometer.
10. Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun: $212,000
- Base Salary: $212,000
- Total Contract: Four years, $836,000 (through 2024-25)
Drafted fourth overall in 2014, Alyssa Thomas has spent her entire career with the Connecticut Sun. She’s made four All-Star squads while averaging 12.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists as a do-everything forward who stands at 6-foot-2.
9. Cheyenne Parker, Atlanta Dream: $216,100
- Base Salary: $196,100
- Incentive: $20,000
- Total Contract: Three years, $571,650 (through 2024-25)
After six seasons with the Chicago Sky and three years with the Atlanta Dream, Cheyenne Parker finally made her first All-Star squad in 2023. Notably, she also crested the 20-points-per-game threshold for the first time while earning a $20,000 contract incentive that gave her a spot among the 10 highest-paid WNBA players.
8. Natasha Howard, Dallas Wings: $227,900
- Base Salary: $227,900
- Total Contract: Four years, $898,700 (through 2024-25)
Natasha Howard is a three-time WNBA champion and two-time All-Star, and she only seems to be getting better. Good as she was for the Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm, and New York Liberty, she’s thrived with the Wings, falling just shy of her career highs in both scoring and rebounding during the 2023 season.
5(tie). Elena Delle Donne, Washington Mystics: $234,350
- Base Salary: $234,350
- Total Contract: Four years, $899,480 (through 2023-24)
Elena Delle Donne has dominated the league since beginning her career with the Chicago Sky in 2013. The 6-foot-5 scoring threat has made seven All-Star squads, won the 2019 title with the Washington Mystics, and earned league MVP honors on two separate occasions while averaging nearly 20 points and seven rebounds per game throughout her memorable tenure in the WNBA.
5(tie). DeWanna Bonner, Connecticut Sun: $234,350
- Base Salary: $234,350
- Total Contract: Four years, $899,480 (through 2023-24)
The fifth pick of the 2009 draft, DeWanna Bonner has won two championships and made five All-Star squads. Moving into her mid-30s hasn’t slowed her down, either. Though she won both championships with Phoenix (2009 and 2014), the forward made the All-Star roster for Connecticut during the 2023 season while putting together one of the finest years of her career.
5(tie). Skylar Diggins-Smith, Phoenix Mercury: $234,350
- Base Salary: $234,350
- Total Contract: Four years, $899,480 (through 2023-24)
Skylar Diggins-Smith has spent a full decade in the WNBA, and she’s excelled as a scorer, no matter her location. The six-time All-Star broke out with the Tulsa Shock by averaging 20.1 points in 2014, and she’s since made appearances in the midseason exhibition for the Dallas Wings and the Phoenix Mercury. Diggins-Smith spent the 2023 season on maternity leave, but she averaged 19.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in ’22 and should return at a high level soon.
2(tie). Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings: $234,936
- Base Salary: $234,936
- Total Contract: Three years, $725,952 (through 2025-26)
Through five seasons in the WNBA, the Dallas Wings guard has made three All-Star teams while averaging over 20 points and three assists per game. A sharpshooter from beyond the arc who never hesitates before firing away, Arike Ogunbowale has done a fantastic job ensuring that her basketball stardom didn’t end when she transitioned from Notre Dame to Dallas as the No. 5 overall pick of the 2019 draft. She should continue to be a contender for highest-paid WNBA player honors for a long time.
2(tie). Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm: $234,936
- Base Salary: $234,936
- Total Contract: Two years, $463,030 (through 2023-24)
Jewell Loyd joined the Seattle Storm as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 WNBA Draft and has more than justified the selection. She’s won two WNBA championships and made five All-Star rosters, and she’s only getting better. The 29-year-old guard has shattered her career mark for scoring average in 2023, putting up nearly 25 points per game for Seattle.
2(tie). Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury: $234,936
- Base Salary: $234,936
- Total Contract: Two years, $469,872 (through 2024-25)
A WNBA legend still racking up stats and accolades in her 40s, Diana Taurasi has spent her entire career with the Phoenix Mercury, who picked her up with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2004 WNBA Draft. The high-scoring guard has averaged over 19 points per game throughout her illustrious career, which has included 2009 MVP honors, three WNBA championships, and 10 All-Star appearances. No woman has come close to matching her lifetime points tally.
1. Erica Wheeler, Indiana Fever: $242,154
- Base Salary: $242,154
- Total Contract: Two years, $444,308 (through 2024-25)
Playing on a frontloaded two-year deal that will push her down the rankings in 2024, Erica Wheeler might have trouble justifying the top spot in the WNBA salary rankings if she doesn’t pick up her level of play. For the second straight season, she’s struggled to score in double digits — a far cry from the 13.6 points per game she averaged during a standout 2021 campaign with the Los Angeles Sparks.
All contract info courtesy of Spotrac.
