Imago
Sep 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) celebrates after a 3 pointer during the second half against the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Imago
Sep 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) celebrates after a 3 pointer during the second half against the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
A’ja Wilson’s record-setting contract is signed and filed away. And with that…a new era has begun in the WNBA.
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The banks are open as at least 27 players get set to join the Las Vegas Aces superstar in the inaugural class of the league’s new Million Dollar Women.
And it only took three decades to happen.
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Players can now earn up to $1.4 million per year on a supermax contract, courtesy of the new CBA. Wilson’s historic extension isn’t a one-off. It’s the starting gun of what’s to come and others are already cashing in.
THE QUEEN: A’JA WILSON
Wilson’s deal with the two-time champion Aces rewards the four-time WNBA MVP with a three-year extension worth $5 million guaranteed.
At $1.67 million per year, it’s the largest contract in WNBA history. She, along with the Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell and Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx, are the league’s first three confirmed supermax signings.
Of course she’s back ✨
The Las Vegas Aces have re-signed 4x M’VP and 3x @WNBA Champ @_ajawilson22! pic.twitter.com/oRPcw3hNpW
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) April 15, 2026
Wilson’s resume is impressive, including seven all-star appearances, two WNBA Finals MVP trophies and five All-WNBA First Team honors. This season, she’ll lead the Aces on their mission to claim three-straight titles.
Her league MVPs and All-WNBA Team accolades make her eligible for a supermax deal under the new CBA, accounting for 20 percent of a team’s $7 million salary cap.
At age 29, she’s cementing her legacy as not only one of this generation’s premier players, but now as the face of its financial revolution.
MITCHELL AND THE TOP-10
Wilson’s supermax was a foregone conclusion, but it was Mitchell who actually inked the first deal of its kind when Indiana used its Core option (franchise tag) to retain the star guard on a one-year deal for $1.4 million. The deal pairs the all-star for another season with Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston as the Fever go all-in on bringing a champion home to Indianapolis.
Nos. 3-6
The next four newest members of the Million Dollar Women all fall into the same cluster led by Seattle’s Ezi Magbegor at $1.25 million and followed tightly by Bridget Carleton (Portland Fire), Alanna Smith (Dallas Wings) and Gabby Williams (Golden State Valkyries) at $1,249,500 million apiece.
Nos. 7-8
Allisha Gray and the Atlanta Dream agreed to terms on a new three-year deal valued at $1.233 million, slightly more than Kahleah Copper received from the Phoenix Mercury.
Nos. 9-10*
Dallas is looking to undo a decade’s worth of futility. After drafting Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, who they have under rookie contracts, the Wings have committed to three players worth north of $1 million in contracts, tied with the Aces and Dream for the most.
Arike Ogunbowale is among the Wings signees at $1.219 million per season, the same amount the Minnesota Lynx doled out to Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride.
Editor’s Note: Breanna Stewart and Aliyah Boston have signed new contracts since the time of writing. The figures mentioned above reflect details available prior to those updates.
THE MILLION DOLLAR WOMEN
All totaled, there are 28 players in the Million Dollar Women club with more expected in the coming days. And while many players are finally getting paid, there’s still a hierarchy among the new members.
There’s a difference of $666,667 between Wilson’s $1,666,667 annual haul and the millionaire club floor, which is still 2.5 times more than the top 2025 yearly salary of $249,244 for the league’s highest paid athletes.
Here sits Kennedy Burke of the Connecticut Sun and the Toronto Tempo’s Temi Fagbenle at an even $1 million for one year.
Some chose to come in slightly under $1 million, such as Kelsey Plum of the Los Angeles Sparks, who opted to sign below value to free up money for roster building.
That includes Sparks teammate Nneka Ogwumike, who signed for slightly less than $1 million. Same goes for Veronica Burton of the Golden State Valkyries and the Chicago Sky’s Skylar Diggins, who signed just below the $1 million floor.
For some perspective on the swing of financial fortunes under the new CBA, Brittney Griner has earned $1.5 million across 13 WNBA seasons before agreeing to a $1.19 million contract this year with the Connecticut Sun.
Three-time champion Chelsea Gray jumped from $207,000 annually in 2023 to $1.05 million this year, while the Dream’s Rhyne Howard made the biggest leap among free agents by bumping her salary from $75,556 to $1.125 million.
The women are finally getting their due, but the process is complex.
THE CAP GIVETH
The new CBA exponentially raised the ceiling for both players and team rosters.
Supermax contracts rose from $249,000 to $1.4 million (461 percent increase), while average salaries saw an increase to $583,000, up from $120,000 (386 percent).
The most startling fact is the increase of the salary cap. Teams had a budget of $1.5 million in 2025. By comparison, a single supermax player in 2026 earns $1.4 million.
The best part is that these numbers are expected to grow. Another clause in the CBA ties salaries directly to the league’s revenue growth through 2032, the length of the agreement.
So who’s next to cash in?
THE NEXT MEMBERS
Wilson and Mitchell won’t be the sole members of the supermax club for long.
Two big names remain on the market. Two big New York Liberty players, that is. Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart have each expressed their interest in remaining in New York, but so far only Ionescu has received a Core qualifying supermax offer of $1.4 million. Stewart, conversely, is an unrestricted free agent, while New York is among the first teams under the new CBA forced to make some tough decisions.
Even though Nyara Sabally and Jonquel Jones each re-signed with the Liberty at discounts, paying max contracts to Ionescu and Stewart becomes a bit more complex.
Sabally was eligible for a $1.19 max contract, but instead signed a two-year deal worth $815,000 in 2026 and $855,750 in 2027…a cap savings of 2.6 percent.
Once all three sign as expected, the Million Dollar Women club will be up to 30 members to tip off the 2026 season.
THE LANDING: CLARK, BUECKERS & REESE
There are others. BIG others on the horizon as Clark, Bueckers and Reese all approach max contract territory.
Although all three are still on their rookie contracts, each received significant raises under the new CBA, including Clark whose salary escalated from $78,066 last year to $527,155, a whopping 576 percent increase.
Yet, that’s still half of the supermax deal that her teammate Mitchell signed with the Fever. Clark is max contract eligible in 2027 followed by Bueckers in 2028. Both become supermax eligible, however, should either of them win league MVP honors.
Reese has a longer path ahead of her. Despite being a two-time all-star, she won’t become max-eligible unless she earns All-WNBA honors in 2026 to trigger the EPIC eligibility clause. If not, Atlanta will have a team option at $396,282 through 2027 when her rookie deal expires.
Reese will eventually get paid. The bank is now open as the WNBA went from minimum salary floor of $66,000 to $270,000-$300,000, with supermax contracts peaking at $1.4 million, seemingly overnight.
And the next generation is already waiting in line to cash their own checks.
