WNBA Playoffs are just around the corner, and the battle for the championship is not the only thing on the line. Players throughout the league are also battling for their playoff bonus pay, meaning the extra money that the will get for each postseason victory.
Below, as reported by Sports Illustrated, is how much money WNBA players are earning in 2025 and why these figures matter. Every player has different bonuses but all of them desire to earn them.
Prize money by rounds
Unlike NBA playoff checks, WNBA playoff checks are not huge, but they are still nice checks for those who earn smaller salaries. Here is how the cut works this year:
- First Round Loss: $1,616 per player
- Semifinal Loss: $3,123 per player
- Finals Runner-Up: $7,746 per player
- WNBA Champion: $20,825 per player
Every team member gets an equal amount of bonusese without any differentiation of minutes played or being a starter. That makes winning the Finals about 13 times better than being bounced in the first round.
These playoff bonuses do not make a huge difference for stars who get endorsement contracts and higher pay. Howeve, for role players and rookies though, these checks can be considerably beneficial.
“Advancing just one round can cover a player’s offseason expenses or travel,” one sports analyst told SI. “It’s not just symbolic – it’s real money that impacts daily life.”
The winner’s bonus of $20,825 is almost the same amount to the monthly salary of some of the younger players on their base deals.
Other WNBA payouts
The playoff checks are modest compared to the Commissioner’s Cup, the midseason league tournament. That contest featured a purse of $500,000, with as much as $30,000 per player for the champion.
The playoff format, however, places the biggest financial reward at the final step, both representing a competitive and monetary reward to compete for a championship.
Though the excitement is understandable, some players and fans argue the bonus structure needs to be larger, especially as the WNBA goes on in increased popularity and revenue. It will go up by the years probably.
The 2025 playoffs also marks the first year of expanded Finals format, now best-of-seven series instead of best-of-five. With more games, tickets sold, and TV exposure, the pressure builds for bonuses to rise in proportion.
The human side of the tournament
Behind all the numbers are the players themselves, some of whom balance foreign contracts or off-season labors in order not to be financially left behind. For them, a playoff bonus check is not a trophy, it is financial breathing room.
And for the league, the bonus system serves as an incentive and as a reminder: there is still potential to open up how women’s professional players are rewarded for the work they put in at the top of the sport.
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