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Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces is the highest-paid player in the WNBA this season, earning $252,450. Young is in the final year of her contract and will be a free agent next offseason. But will there be more players who could sign a more lucrative deal in the future and break the record?
Young is an instrumental part of the Las Vegas Aces' back-to-back championships. She has been steadily improving since the Aces took her No. 1 in the 2019 WNBA draft. She struggled in her first two seasons before breaking out in her third year in the league.
The Aces rewarded her with a two-year, $504,900 contract last year, making her the highest-paid player in WNBA history. However, the increase in the league's popularity means the salary cap will follow suit, and more players are bound to break her record.
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Five players likely to break Jackie Young's record for largest WNBA contract
#1 Breanna Stewart
Breanna Stewart is one of the best players in the world today. She's the reigning WNBA MVP and fell short of winning her third championship. She's coming off the best season of her career and will likely get better.
Stewart is earning $205,000 this season after signing a one-year deal to stay with the New York Liberty. She could have been the highest-paid player in league history but decided to take a lesser deal to help the Liberty improve the team.
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#2 A'ja Wilson
A'ja Wilson is in the same stratosphere as Breanna Stewart among the best players in the world.
Wilson is a two-time champion and two-time MVP at the age of just 27. She was the Las Vegas Aces' first pick in the 2019 draft and didn't need to time adjust her game.
Wilson is signed until the 2025 season and is in the first year of a two-year extension worth $400,000 she signed in 2023. She's earning $200,000 this season and the same next year.
#3 Sabrina Ionescu
Sabrina Ionescu is one of the fastest-rising stars in the WNBA right now. She recently faced off against Steph Curry in a 3-point shootout at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. Her deal with Nike pays her more, while her signature shoe is one of the most popular brands at the moment.
The New York Liberty signed her to a two-year, $410,060 extension last season. She will earn $202,000 this season, and it will increase to $208,060 next year. She will likely be among the top earners in the league in the next few years.
#4 Napheesa Collier
Napheesa Collier played just four games in the 2022 season due to maternity leave. She came back with a vengeance last season, averaging a career-best 21.5 points per game. She also helped the Minnesota Lynx make the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.
Collier will earn $208,219 this season and is in just the second year of a three-year, $552,516 extension signed in 2022. Her salary for next season will be $214,284 before entering free agency where she might get a bigger deal.
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#5 Caitlin Clark
The Indiana Fever are expected to select Caitlin Clark first overall in the upcoming 2024 WNBA Draft. Clark will earn an estimated $74,000 in her first year in the league and will barely increase until she becomes eligible for an extension in her fourth season.
It's a far cry from what she was earning from her NIL deals valued at around $3.1 million. If she continues to remain popular and successful on the court, she will likely break the record for the highest-paid player in WNBA history.
