It’s been the year of Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson. Whether it’s Clark’s logo threes or Wilson’s creativity in the post, the WNBA Rookie of the Year and the MVP for 2024 were no doubt the stars of this year. But surprisingly, despite their large fanbase and their extraordinary talent, they’re not counted among the league’s highest-paid players. Who is the highest paid, then?

When Angel Reese revealed that she didn’t even know her league salary and that in any case, it did not even cover her rent, it sparked a renewed conversation around women athletes’ salaries. While rookies have a cap and Reese got paid $73,439 in 2024, whereas CC received a paycheck of $76,535, Wilson was a little better at $200,000. And yet, if we look at only league salaries, which W players do not split 50-50 like the NBA with their franchises but receive on average about 10% of their team’s revenue, these three don’t count in the top 5.

Diana Taurasi, Arike Ogunbowale, Kahleah Copper

Reports of NBA players’ salaries being as high as 60 times more than those of WNBA players may be greatly exaggerated. But there’s no doubt that the general opinion is that W players get paid in peanuts. Nevertheless, if the top 5 were to be selected, No. 5 would be the Phoenix Mercury’s Diana Taurasi, with a base salary of $234,936 in 2024. The 41-year-old, who is a three-time WNBA champion, one-time league MVP, two-time WNBA Finals MVP, and 10-time All-Star, does not look like she plans to retire anytime soon either.

No. 4 on the list is Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings with a base salary of  $241,984. Previously of Notre Dame fame, the sister of Houston Texans running back Oluwadare “Dare” Ogunbowale, Arike is a three-time All-Star and ended the 2020 season as the league’s leading scorer with 22.8 average points per game.

Meanwhile, the third spot is occupied by Taurasi’s Mercury teammate, Kahleah Copper. Joining the team in 2024 after successful stints with the Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics, Copper is an Olympic gold medalist. The 2021 WNBA Finals MVP brings home a base salary of $245,059; interestingly, if you look at a team-wise breakdown of top earners, the Mercury rank at No. 8 but have two of the top 5 on their roster.

Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd set the bar high

Clark is tied with Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso, and Rickea Jackson for the highest-paid rookie honor in 2024. But her off-the-court earnings of around $8 million rank her in the 13th spot on Forbes‘ World’s Highest-Paid Female Athletes list this year. Wilson doesn’t rank anywhere on it. But WNBA-wise, the second highest earner in league salary is Jewell Loyd of the Seattle Storm with a base salary of $245,508.

Also known as the “Gold Mamba”, Loyd is also a former ROTY and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. A former No. 1 overall selection, Loyd is also a two-time WNBA champion and the 2023 scoring leader and her annual salary is a result of the extension she signed with the Storm.

The league’s top earner plays for the Las Vegas Aces but as we established, is not A’ja Wilson. It is, in fact, Jackie Young, with the highest base salary of  $252,450. The 27-year-old was the first overall pick in 2019 for Las Vegas and has been instrumental in their two back-to-back WNBA championships. Her base salary is also a result of a two-year extension with the Aces.

With viewership now steadily growing, combined with the new media rights agreement between the NBA and WNBA, the pay gap in the two leagues should be bridged. It’s a hot topic that is only going to catch fire as women’s sports gain more popularity.