“The conversations now around the league are totally different. Attendance is up,” this is what Stephen Curry had to say about the WNBA’s changing landscape. The situation wasn’t the same a few years ago. The comment section critics always had this excitement in pulling down the WNBA when it comes to comparison. If not for a drastic change, things have certainly improved in terms of numbers for the women’s league. Let’s take a deep dive into the current standings of both leagues on various parameters.

The first conversation that emerges in a WNBA vs NBA debate is the disparity in the salary. For a person to come across, the average salary from both leagues would leave them mind-boggled. The highest-paid NBA player is Stephen Curry, with an annual salary of $55.7 million. Moreover, the 4x NBA Champion recently signed a one-year contract extension worth $62.6 million.

Meanwhile, on the other end, the highest-paid WNBA players are Arike Ogunbowale, Jewell Lloyd, and Kahleah Copper with an annual salary of $2.4 million. With a stark difference of around $50 million, it’s a great example to set the stage for the comparison.

What is the average salary in NBA and WNBA?

Importantly, the drastic difference in salary depends on various crucial factors. One of the main reasons for NBA players to have lofty contracts is because of the massive salary cap set by the league. And, the reason why the women’s league has a lesser salary cap than the men’s league is because of the huge difference in the revenue generated, viewership, and popularity. Before we go into the details of the factors, let’s look at the average salaries.

On the other hand, the NBA players get away with a fat wallet even for a minimum contract. Depending on the experience of the player, a minimum salary varies from $1.1 million to $3.1 million. Whereas the minimum wage in the WNBA is $64,154.

To put things more into perspective, take a look at the upcoming comparison. The current rookie sensation 2024 #1 pick Caitlin Clark came into the league with a heightened popularity. To be precise, she held more fan following than many of the NBA stars and signed a four-year rookie contract worth $338k. Meanwhile, the NBA’s 2024 #1 pick Zaccharie Risacher, who barely had popularity in the league, signed a $57 million contract for four years.

Before we drag this any further, let’s deep dive into the subject salary cap and revenue split that determines the players’ salary.

What is the salary cap of the WNBA and NBA?

The ultimate deciding factor of how much a player would earn is the salary cap. And, the league decides on the salary cap based on the revenue generated and the percentage distributed between the players and the franchise. In the NBA, the revenue generated in a season is equally split among the teams, which is equal to the salary cap set that year. Notably, for the upcoming season, the salary cap is set at $140.588 million, and $170.814 million for the 2025-26 season.

Moreover, according to the latest CBA, each franchise has to generate revenue of 70% equal to the league’s average in order to avail of the full-revenue sharing benefits. Moreover, the franchise has to split 50% of the revenue between the players and the league. On the other hand, there isn’t any available source on the WNBA franchises’ revenue split percentage. The bottom line is the league’s revenue generation dictates the salary cap. So, the WNBA’s salary cap for the 2024 season is $1.4 million.

However, the WNBA witnessed a steady improvement in their number in the current season. Speaking of which Stephen Curry recently said, “You know, they’re on TV a lot more… the growth of the popularity of not just the individual players, but, you know, franchises becoming more dominant. You obviously know what Angel Reese Caitlin Clark doing. Amazing things early in their careers.” So going by Curry’s words, slowly but surely, the WNBA would rise above. Speaking of the popularity, let’s have a quick check on the viewership.

Viewership: which league has the most number of viewers

NBA is once again dominant in this parameter. Not only against the WNBA but also other sporting leagues in the US. A report stated that almost 27% of the American population have their tabs open with the NBA. And it’s said to peak further during the postseason and Finals. Notably, more than 11.3 million people watched the 2024 NBA Finals. Interestingly, the 2023 Finals garnered 728,000 viewers while the entire WNBA season garnered 470,000 viewers.

At the same time, the 2023 WNBA had interesting developments where it attracted an average of 505,000 viewers on ESPN and CBS, which was a 21% increase from the previous season. Moreover, with the growing exciting narratives in the league, the WNBA’s fandom might further increase in the coming years. Not to forget the growing popularity in the overseas market. Currently, the WNBA is broadcast across 24 countries, meanwhile; the NBA is broadcast across 214 countries and territories.

While we toiled hard with salary and viewership comparisons, here are some fun trivia

What do you make of the comparisons? Will the WNBA supersede the NBA’s revenue in the future? Let us know in the comments below.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.