WNBA draft picks are about to get paid like never before: 'It's an incredible time'

WNBAWNBA draft picks are about to get paid like never before: 'It's an incredible time' This year’s top draft pick is projected to earn $500,000, six times the $78,000 last year’s No. 1 selection was paid. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleWNBA ushers in new draft class as league approves historic contract bumping players' pay03:56Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 14, 2026, 9:38 AM EDT / Updated April 14, 2026, 9:38 AM EDTBy Priscilla Thompson, Jackie Montalvo and Zoya WazirHOUSTON — Azzi Fudd has been waiting years for this moment. After four seasons as a star guard for the University of Connecticut, she was taken No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings in Monday’s WNBA Draft. Ahead of her selection, she told NBC News there was only one way to describe her feelings.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“I’ve gotten to watch the last four years my teammates go through this process, and so now to be the one going through this…” Fudd told NBC News, “Excited is the word that just keeps coming (up).”Fudd headlines a draft class of ballers hitting the WNBA hardwood at a major moment in the league after a transformational collective bargaining agreement was inked in March. That agreement will give players a share in WNBA revenue and sky rocket salaries.Azzi Fudd poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being drafted.David L. Nemec / NBAE via Getty ImagesThe league’s average annual salary is expected to increase from $120,000 to $583,000, according to the WNBA, with minimum pay starting at $270,000. Its biggest stars are now able to score multimillion-dollar deals for the first time. Some players like Connecticut Sun star Brittney Griner have already signed seven-figure deals, according to multiple reports. In 2022, Griner was imprisoned in Russia for 294 days for allegedly carrying hashish oil while entering the country to play ba...