Here's what Paige Bueckers and the top 2025 WNBA draft picks will earn

Paige Bueckers , the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings , will begin her professional journey with a rookie salary of approximately $79,000. While this figure is a standard salary for top draft picks in the WNBA, it highlights the significant pay disparity between women's and men's professional basketball. For perspective, the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Victor Wembanyama , is set to earn $12.5 million in his rookie season ( Dow Jones, 2025).

The WNBA’s salary structure operates on a fixed rookie wage scale, where the draft position directly impacts earnings. Bueckers’ contract guarantees a total of $348,198 over her first four years, assuming the Dallas Wings exercise the option for her fourth season. Though this is a considerable sum for a rookie, it underscores the gender-based salary gap that persists in professional sports, especially when compared to the multi-million-dollar contracts in the NBA.
Bueckers’ NIL Deals and Marketability
Despite her rookie salary, Bueckers has already secured a place in the millionaire club, thanks to her impressive earnings from name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. During her final season at UConn, she earned $1.4 million through partnerships with major brands such as Nike, Bose, and Gatorade. She also made history as the first college athlete to design her own Nike Player Edition shoe, a major milestone for female athletes in the NIL era.

Her marketability continues to grow, with Bueckers being named the 16th most marketable sports star worldwide in 2024 by Sports Pro. This ongoing visibility will likely continue to attract high-value endorsements, supplementing her WNBA earnings. As she enters the league, it’s expected that her endorsement deals will help her maintain a steady flow of income, possibly surpassing her on-court earnings in the near future.
Earnings of Other Top 2025 WNBA Draft Picks
While Paige Bueckers is making headlines with her earnings, other players from the 2025 WNBA Draft are also in line for notable salaries, though still far from their NBA counterparts. Here’s a breakdown of the first few picks and their projected earnings:

• Dominique Malonga (No. 2 Pick): As the second overall pick, Malonga will earn a base salary around $76,000 for her rookie year. Over four years, her earnings could total approximately $340,000, depending on her contract terms and the team’s options for additional years (Dow Jones, 2025).
  
  
• Sonia Citron (No. 3 Pick): Citron, selected at No. 3, will see a similar salary to Malonga, with an expected rookie salary just shy of $76,000. Her four-year contract could bring in around $335,000 (Dow Jones, 2025).
  
  
• Hailey Van Lith (No. 11 Pick): Van Lith, taken at No. 11, will start her career with a slightly lower rookie salary of around $72,000. Over her four years, she stands to make approximately $320,000 if her contract is fully exercised (Dow Jones, 2025).
  
  

These rookie contracts reflect the WNBA’s current pay scale, which offers a significant salary gap compared to the NBA, especially for top players. As the league continues to grow in popularity, there are ongoing discussions about increasing salaries, especially after the signing of a new $2.2 billion TV deal. This could lead to substantial changes in the way rookie contracts are structured, benefiting players like Bueckers and others in the years to come.