Minimums

• In 2011, a WNBA player with two years or less in the league earned a minimum salary of $36,750. According to the terms of the WNBA collective bargaining agreement, the minimum salary will rise to $37,260 in 2012 and $37,950 in 2013, which is the final year of the pact. Players with three or more years experience earned a minimum salary of $53,000 in 2011, with the total increasing to $55,000 in 2013.
  
  

Maximums

• The WNBA collective bargaining agreement also stipulates players cannot earn above a certain salary, depending on their time in the league. Players with six or more years of service can receive a maximum salary of $103,500 in 2011, with the max increasing to $107,500 in 2013. Those same maximums also apply to rookies as a way to lure top talent into the league. For all other players, the 2011 maximum salary was $101,000, which will elevate to $105,000 for the 2013 season.
  
  

Incentives

• The WNBA permits financial bonuses for notable achievements. Winning the WNBA championship earns each player on the team an additional $10,500. Earning regular-season MVP honors comes with a $15,000 bonus. Being named All WNBA First Team earns $10,000, while Second Team nets $5,000. Players winning Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player and the Sportsmanship Award earn an extra $5,000 for each trophy. Participating in the WNBA All-Star Game also comes with a $2,500 bonus.
  
  

Overseas

• Many WNBA stars earn most of their money playing overseas during the off-season. If a female basketball player wants to be treated like an American professional athlete, she has to play overseas. Women's leagues in Russia, Israel, South Korea and other countries pay U.S. female basketball stars much more than they earn in the U.S., with the average salary hovering around $500,000 for as little as a 20-game season. These foreign leagues also provide their WNBA recruits with free room and board plus other perks suchh as drivers, cooks and interpreters.