For some WNBA players, 17 months of negotiations was worth seven figures.
In March, the WNBA and its players struck a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement. Among the several groundbreaking elements of the historic CBA, it paved the way for players to get paid — big time.
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The salary cap — the total amount of money each team is allowed to spend on player contracts — more than quadrupled, jumping from $1.5 million last year to $7 million this season. League minimums for salaries were increased from $67,000 to $300,000. With that, the average player salary went from $105,000 to about $600,000.
And, for the first time, the WNBA now has players earning more than $1 million per year. The new annual supermax is $1.4 million — a salary figure that three players will earn this season: A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx, and Kelsey Mitchell of the Indiana Fever.
In all, 31 players will make at least $1 million this season. And four-time All-Star guard Kelsey Plum will earn just a hair under at $999,999 with the Sparks.
These are the highest-paid players in the WNBA:
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A’ja Wilson | $1,400,000 (Las Vegas Aces)
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Napheesa Collier | $1,400,000 (Minnesota Lynx)
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Kelsey Mitchell | $1,400,000 (Indiana Fever)
Salary data was pulled from Spotrac and Her Hoop Stats.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier among highest-paid players in the WNBA
