To put it simply, the WNBA does not have the funds to pay salaries comparable to the NBA average; therefore, people cannot expect the two leagues to have equal pay. One main cause of the disproportionate revenue between the two leagues is viewership.
Why can’t WNBA players dunk?
WNBA players are allowed to dunk on the game. However, dunking is much less common in the WNBA than in the NBA. The reason why is because the average height of WNBA players is shorter compared to the average height of NBA players. Even though most WNBA players can’t dunk, they still work hard like the NBA players.
How are WNBA players paid compared to NBA players?
On the other hand, some others pay attention to how much percentage of the league revenue has been paid to the athletes, rather than the actual salary number. Considering this perspective, WNBA players were paid about 20% of WNBA league revenues in the past game seasons, while NBA players were paid more than 50% of NBA league revenues.
Who are the top earners in the WNBA?
The WNBA was founded in 1996 as the women’s counterpart to the NBA. The NBA owned all of the franchises until 2002. Phoenix’s DeWanna Bonner will be the WNBA’s top earner in 2019 at $127,500.
What’s the average salary of a basketball player?
The average salary of a male basketball player is put at $7.7 million while that of their female counterparts is a mere $100,658. The situation is so bad that many NBA referees even make more than the players in the WNBA. Despite this unsavory reality, the women of the WNBA continue making great strides both on and off the court.
How much do rookies make in the WNBA?
Rookies in the WNBA were paid about $41,000 in 2018. As Black Enterprise magazine astutely points out, that was about half the median U.S. household income. The minimum was raised to $41,965 for 2019.
