WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will have drastically different salaries for the 2026 season.
As part of the WNBA’s landmark collective bargaining agreement, there’s a new provision called Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract (EPIC). It allows players on rookie deals to start immediately earning top dollar instead of waiting for their initial contracts to expire.
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Clark, a two-time All-Star, earned $78,066 during the 2025 season. Her salary is expected to jump to $530,000 this year, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. That’s because she made the All-WNBA first team in 2024.
“She could earn the projected max of $1.3 million in 2027 as a previous All-WNBA player and the projected supermax of $1.7 million in 2028, the first year of her extended term,” Philippou added.
Reese, on the other hand, is expected to go from making $74,909 to $349,571 for the 2026 season.
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Sep 14, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks to the locker room against the Atlanta Dream at halftime during game one of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images© Brett Davis-Imagn Images
(© Brett Davis-Imagn Images)
WNBA salaries are on the rise.
Front Office Sports previously reported the average salary for the 2026 WNBA season will be about $583,000. That makes sense considering the salary cap increased to $7 million.
The miniumum salaries for WNBA players have increased as well regardless of experience.
“The minimum for players with zero years of experience is $270,000; one to three years is $277,500; four to six years is $285,000; seven to nine years is $292,500; and 10 or more is $300,000,” ESPN’s Michael Voepel noted.
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The 2026 WNBA season is set to begin on May 8.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Mar 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
