The WNBA Draft happened on Monday night. It was the start of a lot of young women’s dreams to play professional basketball.
Last year, the WNBA had unprecedented popularity thanks to the rookie class. That class featured both Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, two women who will be the face of the league for years to come.
Paige Bueckers is hoping to become one of the faces of the league, as well. She was drafted number one overall by the Dallas Wings.
Bueckers was projected to be the number-one pick, so this isn’t a surprise. She will now be one of the young faces of the league.
Despite being one of the young faces of women’s basketball, she will only make $78,831 with the Wings. She is being offered more than twice that by Unrivaled, as they are offering $220,000.
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WNBA fans are not happy with the large pay gap that Bueckers will have between the two leagues.
#1 draft pick Paige Bueckers year 1 WNBA salary is less than the median household income in the U.S.
— Joe Hadobas (@joehado) April 15, 2025
The economics of the WNBA just don’t add up.
If projected No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers can earn more in a 10-week Unrivaled season than in four years on a WNBA rookie deal… something is seriously broken.
Her WNBA rookie salary? Under $80K.
Her projected Unrivaled pay? Over…
— Liam (@pseudocrazy) April 14, 2025
Glad Unrivaled is giving someone like Bueckers the chance to earn at a high level while giving fans an awesome product to watch
— Curious Sports Pulse Media (@sportspulse100) April 14, 2025
honest question, how can they afford this, the numbers didnt even keep up with the wnba last season so how are they able to afford to pay the players more? where is the money coming from?
— SnapZ / Lathanuel (@ohsnapitysnapz) April 14, 2025
Fans can’t believe that for just 10 weeks of basketball, Bueckers is making over twice as much for a full season of WNBA play. They believe that she should be making more in the WNBA.
This is something that will be a talking point after the season when the CBA is up in the WNBA. The players are going to want to get paid more based on the increased viewership and attendance numbers the league is getting.
The league has a long way to go to become popular enough to pay players quite as much as Unrivaled is able to. Unrivaled has private funding from NBA players and rich people to help pay the players.
Until the WNBA can sign a massive rights deal for their television product, it’s going to be very difficult for them to substantially raise the pay scale.
Perhaps this year could help raise that ceiling a little bit with all of the young stars that are now in the league.
Bueckers understands what a privilege it is to play in the WNBA, but she also wants to make as much money as she can. Her Unrivaled salary will certainly help her live more comfortably.
This past season for UConn, Bueckers averaged 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. She shot 53.4 percent from the field and 42 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
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