The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) finds itself in the midst of an all-time high for popularity around the world, record-breaking audiences and rising valuations.
But as the new classes of draft picks walk directly into lucrative deals, five-star hotel stays and league-wide charter flights, veteran players can’t help but remind rookies of how much the sport has changed over a short period.
On This Past Weekend with Theo Von, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham spoke to how far things have come for first-year players.
Cunningham, who was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in 2019, grew up in a league that had much less access to top-dollar amenities. “What they’re used to is private flights. What they’re used to is staying in the best hotels. What they’re used to is having a security escort.
We had no security escorts for the first five years I played in the league,” Cunningham said.
“So now that I think about it and I just soak in everything that they have and the amenities that they’re accustomed to, honestly, those are things I can only dream about right now.”
Indeed, that world has been radically changed, thanks to historic collective bargaining agreements, innovative revenue-sharing arrangements and a fanbase boom. Now, private charter flights are the norm, maximum player salaries exceed $1.4 million and the average league salary is close to $600,000.
Those upgrades enable athletes to focus on rest, safety and building their brands stateside, where they no longer have to spend the year playing overseas.
Rather than begrudging the younger players, Cunningham embraces her vantage point as a connector of old and new. Having survived the league’s leaner years, she recognizes the sacrifices made by the generation before her and benefits now from the WNBA’s booming success.
As the WNBA approaches another expansion and a new batch of veteran players transitions out, her message – simple as it is – will be loud and clear to these rookies: They’re inheriting a golden age.
