As the college basketball season wrapped up, it was obvious who the future stars were and who would hear their names called first on draft night. This year was no exception — both on the men’s and women’s side. Cooper Flagg and Paige Bueckers were the clear favorites to go No. 1 overall. Paige has already made history, getting drafted first by the Dallas Wings in the WNBA. Meanwhile, Cooper Flagg is all set to be the top pick when the NBA Draft rolls around on June 25. But the real eye-opener? The massive difference between their rookie contracts highlights just how wide the gap still is between the NBA and WNBA.

According to Boardroom’s Instagram page, the massive pay gap between the number 1 picks in the NBA and WNBA came to light. Cooper Flagg is projected to sign a four-year rookie deal worth $62.7 million. Meanwhile, Paige Bueckers, the top pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, signed a four-year contract worth just $348,000. That’s a staggering $62.35 million difference between the two!

This comes after the women sports has seen a rapid growth in viewership, thanks to the Caitlin Clark effect. The NCAA women’s basketball championship between Iowa and South Carolina drew an incredible 18.9 million viewers, becoming ESPN’s most-watched college basketball game ever and the most-watched women’s college basketball game in history. At its peak, the game hit 24.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched basketball game at any level over the past five years. The broadcast numbers marked a massive 90% jump from the previous year’s championship, firmly establishing the game as the most-watched annual sporting event outside of football since 2019.

That momentum carried straight into the WNBA. Clark’s regular-season games averaged 1.2 million viewers — a staggering 199% increase compared to games without her. Overall, TV viewership soared by 300%, and now, about 45% of the WNBA’s total broadcast value comes from Fever games alone. But this hasn’t translated to an increase in player wages.

Yes, people will  compare Cooper Flagg’s salary to Paige Bueckers’ and point out that one will make more in a week than the other will in four years. Or that one will earn more per game than the other will in their entire rookie season. But at the end of the day, these numbers can’t be the basis for that comparison.

Naturally, this might sound shocking to some, but a lot of fans didn’t seem too bothered. Many just turned a blind eye to the UConn star’s struggles.  Let’s take a look at how some fans reacted!

Fans give reasons for Cooper Flagg earning more than Paige Bueckers

Fans quickly took to Instagram to share their thoughts, and many of their explanations made a lot of sense. It wasn’t about demeaning women’s sports — instead, most gave logical reasons behind the unfortunate reality of the pay gap. “It’s call supply and demand” commented one fan. Another joined in saying,“We need to stop comparing the NBA to the WNBA…its like comparing Walmart to a pop shop.” 

And that’s exactly the point. The NBA simply generates way more revenue than the WNBA. In the NBA, there are 1,230 regular season games, and if every playoff series goes the distance, up to 105 playoff games. Meanwhile, in the WNBA, there are only 204 regular season matchups (as of last season). Each team played 34 games — four against in-conference teams and three against out-of-conference ones. With the addition of the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s total regular season games will jump to 286. And with two more expansion teams coming in the future, the number will go up again. But even then, it still won’t come close to matching the NBA’s volume.

Thanks to Caitlin Clark’s impact, the WNBA’s revenue has doubled since 2019 — from $102 million to $200 million. However, players still only receive 9.3% of the total league revenue. Right now, the highest-paid player in the WNBA makes $241,984 per year, while rookies like Clark are earning $76,535. That’s just the reality of where the league stands. Meanwhile, the average NBA salary for the 2024-25 season is expected to be $11,910,649. A massive gap — but it’s reflective of the revenue difference between the two leagues.It makes total sense for Cooper Flagg to command what he’s projected to earn, given how much money the NBA generates.

Fans had their say online too. One fan wrote, “Can we stop making this a thing lol until fans sell out WNBA arenas and they get better TV deals, their pay will not change. It’s business 101. Anyone that has an issue with women’s pay needs to gather troops and attend games, buy merch, and advocate to grow the brand.” Another added, “MEDIA RIGHTS makes up HALF of the NBA’s revenue with its new almost 7 billion dollar a year deal. Big corporations must pay the women more!”

In 2023, the NBA’s 30 teams brought in a staggering $10.58 billion in revenue. Under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), NBA players are entitled to between 49% and 51% of basketball-related income. Last year, the NBA secured massive new media rights deals, signing 11-year agreements with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video worth a combined $77 billion. Meanwhile, the WNBA secured a $2.2 billion deal over the same period. When you put these numbers side by side, it paints a pretty clear picture of the revenue gap.

Add to that the WNBA is still not profitable and is costing NBA money to operate. Despite the rise in popularity and demand for tickets the WNBA recorded a $40 million loss last season according to the New York post. As pointed out by a fan who said,“1 league operates at a loss every year, and 1 league is profitable!! Let’s stop having this conversation like we don’t know how business works!!!” Another joined in to remark the same, “Of course he will. WNBA still hasn’t made a dime. Waste of conversation as this is old news.”

But not all hope is lost for WNBA athletes! The business side of women’s basketball is growing faster than ever. Dissatisfied with their current pay after a season where the W saw a massive boost in popularity, the WNBA players’ union officially opted out of the collective bargaining agreement. That means the current CBA will expire after next season. Athletes are likely to get way more than what they are earning right now but it still won’t be anywhere near to what the NBA athletes do–but it’s still a start!

New ventures like the Unrivaled 3×3 league are also giving players more opportunities to build their value and platform. The popularity of the women’s game is on a major rise, and as one fan pointed out: “Okay, now let’s get women’s sports HUGE! Way bigger than where it currently sits so we can pay them more! I’m for it.” At the end of the day, it’s up to all of us to keep pushing the WNBA forward!