The start of the 29th WNBA season is a little more than a month away, and the league is coming off arguably its best season to date, helped in large part by the arrival of rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
While the league is popular, especially among younger sports fans, it still has its share of critics who often, unfairly, like to compare the league to the NBA, a league that’s nearly three times as old as the WNBA, has more than double the teams and has a season that’s roughly twice as long.
With the rise of widespread interest in the WNBA across Arizona sports betting, player salaries have become a pressing topic that is often debated on. BetArizona.com wanted to see how salaries have changed since the league kicked things off in 1997.
Using Spotrac.com, we calculated the average salary for WNBA players in 2025. While the exact figure is not available online, we developed an estimated average salary of $32,500 for the WNBA its first year based on league minimum and maximum salary guidelines. Using USInflationCalculator.com, we calculated what that figure equivalent would be given the US dollar’s current purchasing power. We based the difference on the number adjusted for inflation to give the most accurate comparison. Using the same methodology, we compared the average salary during the start of the NBA season to current average salaries to see how different the salaries are.
1996-97 Avg. Salary*(Adj. For inflation) | 2025 Avg. Salary | Difference |
$64,611** | $137,218 | Up 112.4% |
*Average salary for 1997 is an estimate, as official data is not available. The estimated figure is derived from the league minimum and maximum.
**$64,611 is the salary average adjusted for current day inflation. The original figure estimate is $32,500.
1946-47Avg. Salary (Adj. For inflation) | 2025 Avg. Salary | Difference |
$64,388** | $11,919,649 | Up 18,412% |
**$64,388 is the salary average adjusted for current day inflation. The original figure estimate is $4,500.
To be frank, comparing the leagues where they currently stand is awfully unfair for the reasons mentioned above. Fewer teams and fewer games will lead to lower revenues and smaller salaries.
However, if you look at where the WNBA is now to where the NBA was at a similar age, you’ll find a much better comparison. According to Boardroom, the average NBA player made $90,000 during the 1970-71 season, when the league featured 17 teams.
Many sports fans and bettors on Arizona betting apps weren’t around to see the NBA of a half-century ago. That NBA was on the verge of folding as several teams faced financial hardships, and the league at that time did not enjoy the national exposure as it does now. If you wanted to watch the NBA Finals, you had to watch it late night on tape delay.
What helped the NBA was the arrival of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird (sound familiar?), and the rivalry they had in college grew even bigger as they played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, the two best franchises of all time and the two that ruled the 80s. From there, you had Michael Jordan, and the rest is history.
Does the WNBA have its own Michael Jordan in waiting, or does it even need one? What we do know is that the league is at a similar spot as its male counterpart was a half century ago. Where it grows from there remains to be seen.
USA Today photo by Paul Rutherford.
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.
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