Azzi Fudd was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft on Monday, and thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement, she will be making more money than any rookie in league history and more than double that of any player in any previous season.
In mid-March, the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association agreed to a new CBA, which ended a bitter labor dispute that had lasted over a year and established the first comprehensive revenue-sharing model in women’s professional sports history.
In doing so, the union won significant financial gains that will impact every player, including all rookies. Notably, first-round selections will now receive a fully guaranteed contract in their rookie season, per Front Office Sports, which published the full rookie scale for players drafted this year.
As the No. 1 pick, Fudd will earn $500,000 in 2026 and $646,360 by the final year of her deal. In 2025, No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers made $78,831, and a supermax contract — the biggest salary in league history to that point — was $249,244.
|
No. 1 |
$500,000 |
$520,000 |
$572,000 |
$646,360 |
|
No. 2 |
$466,913 |
$485,590 |
$534,149 |
$603,588 |
|
No. 3 |
$436,016 |
$453,457 |
$498,803 |
$563,647 |
|
No. 4 |
$407,163 |
$423,450 |
$465,795 |
$526,348 |
|
No. 5 |
$380,219 |
$395,428 |
$434,971 |
$491,517 |
|
No. 6 |
$355,058 |
$369,260 |
$406,186 |
$458,990 |
|
No. 7 |
$331,563 |
$344,826 |
$379,309 |
$428,619 |
|
No. 8 |
$309,622 |
$322,007 |
$354,208 |
$400,255 |
|
Nos. 9-15 |
$289,133 |
$300,698 |
$330,768 |
$373,768 |
|
Second round |
$270,000 |
$288,600 |
$317,460 |
$358,730 |
|
Third round |
$270,000 |
$288,600 |
$317,460 |
$358,730 |
It’s important to note that the above numbers are base salaries only and do not include any bonuses.
Additionally, the new CBA includes a new pathway for players on rookie contracts to earn a max deal. The provision is called “EPIC” (Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract) and allows players to renegotiate in the fourth year of their rookie deal and sign a three-year extension, according to ESPN. Those players will be able to earn the max in their fourth year if they make the All-WNBA First or Second Team at any point in their first three seasons, and will be able to earn the supermax in their fourth year if they win MVP at any point in their first three seasons.
Those are lofty goals, but not impossible to reach. Caitlin Clark was named to the All-WNBA First Team as a rookie in 2024, and Aliyah Boston made the All-WNBA Second Team in 2025 in her third season.
