Payouts revealed for WNBA All-Star Weekend, 3-point contest winner
Friday night marked the beginning of the WNBA’s All-Star Weekend. The biggest names in the league headed to Phoenix for the festivities, which begin with the three-point contest and skills competitions before the All-Star Game on Saturday.
Sportico revealed the payouts for players who participate in both the game and the contests. They’re all listed in the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement.
Players who participate in the game will receive $2,575, and the All-Star Game MVP gets an additional $5,150. The winners of the three-point contest and skills competition will both receive $2,575, as well, and participants get $1,030. But a major company has jumped into increase those payouts.
Aflac committed $55,000 as a bonus to the winners of both competitions in partnership with the WNBPA. That takes the payouts to $57,575 for the players who bring home the titles.
The WNBA’s current CBA is set to expire after the 2025 season, which is also when the league’s media rights deal ends. Those media talks could lead to a major increase in revenue for the W and, therefore, an increase in salaries.
Jackie Young has the highest salary in the league at $252,450, which came as a result of a two-year deal she signed with the Las Vegas Aces. The minimum salary, by comparison, is $64,154. Those numbers could very well change after the new media deal kicks in.
How the WNBA’s next media deal could impact revenue
The WNBA’s next media rights deal is set to begin in 2026 and will be worth $2.2 billion over 11 years, according to The Athletic. With an average value of $200 million per year, which is a major increase from the $50 million payouts under the current agreement with Disney, ION, CBS and Amazon.
While Disney and Amazon will be part of the new deal, along with newcomer NBC, the WNBA could sell two more rights packages to make an additional $60 million per year, per The Athletic. Of course, there’s also the potential of four more games per team as the league considers moving to 44 games in a season. That could add even more value.
TV viewership is increasing around the league, largely fueled by Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. They have 14 of the 16 broadcasts to top 1 million viewers this year – including Wednesday night’s game against the Dallas Wings, which averaged 1.7 million viewers.
But Clark’s last two matchups against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky sit above the rest. They have the two most-watched WNBA games in 25 years, including a record 2.30 million people tuning in for the June 23 matchup in Chicago.
Ticket sales and merchandise sales are also increasing, meaning the WNBA is on an upward trajectory. Of course, there’s also a new expansion team on the way when the Golden State Valkyries join the fray. With the new CBA and media agreements preparing to kick in, it could be perfect timing for such a boom.