Sophie Cunningham laid bare the harsh financial reality that faced WNBA players just a few years ago. The star guard admitted her rookie salary after taxes was so low she had to consider a second job to survive. This isn’t a story about bad money management; it is a story about a league that paid its stars pennies.
Cunningham dropped a number that should make any sports fan feel sick. “This Past Weekend” featured Cunningham recently and The Mirror reported she earned approximately $28,000 after taxes and deductions. That is barely enough to cover rent in a major city, let alone support a family or build a future. She was right to question the math. “I was making $28,000, and I was like, I need to get a job. Like I need to actually do something to make money,” she added.
The Grind Was Real
Many fans assume the WNBA always paid well or that players simply live in their parents’ basements. That is a lie. Cunningham, who was the No. 13 overall pick when she entered the league in 2019, continued to struggle financially. She even wished she had learned more about business and personal finance while she was a student-athlete at Missouri. You cannot blame a young athlete for not knowing how to stretch a tiny paycheck when the system is designed to keep them broke.
It is a good thing she did not have to work two jobs forever. The landscape changed fast. The Fever signed Cunningham to a one-year, $665,000 contract at the beginning of this past season. That is a massive jump from the $28,000 she earned as a rookie. The gap between then and now is the difference between starvation and security.
The New Money Is Here
The league finally woke up to the value of its talent. Following the March agreement on the 2026 WNBA collective bargaining agreement, the WNBA’s salary cap jumped overnight from $1.5 million to $7 million. This was not a slow climb; it was a sudden explosion of cash. Players like Cunningham are finally getting paid what they are worth. “Now because of our new CBA agreement, which is great, it’s going to continue to get better,” she said.
Do not let anyone tell you this was inevitable. It took years of players speaking out and leagues realizing they could not keep the talent. The old system was broken. The new one is just starting. Fans should remember the numbers from the past when they watch the games today. The $28,000 figure is a reminder of how far the league has come, but it is also a warning of how much work was needed to get here.
