WNBA players will make a lot less money than their male counterparts during the playoffs. The bonus structure is legitimately laughable compared to the NBA.
Money is not equal, and rightfully so, but yeesh.
There is a major discrepancy between the two leagues in terms of financial incentives. WNBA players who win the championship are paid the same as NBA players who lose in the first round.
NBA players make bank.
Last year’s NBA Playoff Pool hovered around $35 million in total. Some of that money is distributed to the teams for how they perform during the regular season. The rest is distributed based on the playoffs.
Regular season money breaks down as follows:
- Best Record in NBA — $869,000 per team
- Best Record in Conference — $761,000 per team
- Second Best Record in Conference — $609,000 per team
- Third Best Record in Conference — $456,000 per team
- Fourth Best Record in Conference — $372,000 per team
- Fifth Best Record in Conference — $288,000 per team
- Sixth Best Record in Conference — $204,000 per team
Each of those team totals are then split among the players. So 204,000 divided by 15… etc.
NBA playoff money breaks down as follows:
- Teams in First Round — $466,000 per team
- Teams in Conference Semifinals — $568,000 per team
- Teams in Conference Finals — $951,000 per team
- Losing Team in NBA Finals — $3,803,000
- Winning Team in NBA Finals — $8,805,000
Lets do some quick math. Players who make the playoffs get a bonus of approximately $30,000. Players who win the championship get five separate bonuses totaling more than $800,000.
WNBA players get paid less.
16 teams make the NBA playoffs. Eight teams make the WNBA playoffs.
Not only are there less teams, there is a lot less money.
As far as I am aware, the Women’s National Basketball Association does not pay out regular season bonuses. It does not matter where teams finish in the standings. Players are not getting paid any more or less money based on the regular season. The standings only have an impact on seeding.
However, the players do get paid for making the playoffs. They also get paid for each round they advance like their male counterparts. Just less of it. It’s not even close.
WNBA playoff money breaks down as follows:
- Teams in First Round — $19,392 per team
- Teams in Semifinals — $37,476 per team
- Losing Team in WNBA Finals — $92,952
- Winning Team in WNBA Finals — $249,9000
The bonus money paid out to the team that wins the WNBA Finals is less than the money paid out to NBA teams that make the first round of the playoffs. There are 12 players per team.
WNBA players who make the playoffs get a bonus of approximately $1,600. Players who win the championship get four separate bonuses totaling approximately $33,000.