In 2026, three WNBA players will earn over $1 million annually due to a new collective bargaining agreement. The salary cap has increased significantly, allowing for higher player salaries.
For some WNBA players, 17 months of negotiations was worth seven figures.
In March, the WNBA and its players struck a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement. Among the several groundbreaking elements of the historic CBA, it paved the way for players to get paid — big time.
The salary cap — the total amount of money each team is allowed to spend on player contracts — more than quadrupled, jumping from $1.5 million last year to $7 million this season. League minimums for salaries were increased from $67,000 to $300,000. With that, the average player salary went from $105,000 to about $600,000.
And, for the first time, the WNBA now has players earning more than $1 million per year. The new annual supermax is $1.4 million — a salary figure that three players will earn this season: A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx, and Kelsey Mitchell of the Indiana Fever.
In all, 31 players will make at least $1 million this season. And four-time All-Star guard Kelsey Plum will earn just a hair under at $999,999 with the Sparks.
These are the highest-paid players in the WNBA:
A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, and Kelsey Mitchell are the three WNBA players earning over $1 million in 2026.
The salary cap for WNBA teams has increased to $7 million in 2026.
The average WNBA player salary has increased from $105,000 to about $600,000.
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Salary data was pulled from Spotrac and Her Hoop Stats.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier among highest-paid players in the WNBA