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All Things Considered
Tom Crann and Ngoc Bui

Paige Bueckers tops WNBA draft as players union looks to negotiate higher salaries

A woman with blonde hair poses for a photo
UConn's Paige Bueckers poses before the WNBA basketball draft on Monday in New York.
Pamela Smith | AP

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Hopkins native Paige Bueckers was the number one pick in the WNBA draft on April 15. She is fresh off an NCAA championship with the University of Connecticut Huskies.

But behind all the excitement of her entrance into the WNBA is an ongoing negotiation for a new contract between the players’ union (The Women's National Basketball Players Association) and the league.

The current collective bargaining agreement will end in the fall after the 2025 season, said Doug Feinberg, women’s basketball reporter for the Associated Press. So, these negotiations will be for next season and beyond. Player salaries are a central topic of discussion.

It comes at a time when the league is showing growth by all measures.

“The numbers are great, ratings are great, attendance is great. They have a new media rights deal they signed last year,” said Feinberg.

Yet, salaries have not kept pace.

For her rookie contract, Paige Bueckers’ base salary will be $78,000, slightly more than what Caitlin Clark got in her first season. By comparison, NBA rookies start off in the millions.

“That’s where the league and the union are going to be discussing this year trying to get players more money that the players think they deserve,” Feinberg said. “And the league understands that the players probably should be getting paid more than they are right now.”

For the full conversation with Doug Feinberg, click play on the audio player above.