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WNBA vs. NBA: What Every Fan Should Know

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Corey Scott | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 6:27 PM ET

With the WNBA booming in popularity lately — from Dave Portnoy rocking a Caitlin Clark uniform to Ben Stiller attending New York Liberty games — the league appears to be gaining in popularity. Meanwhile, their male counterparts in the NBA continue to strike massive deals while growing the game internationally.

So, what are the key differences — and similarities — between the NBA and WNBA, from salaries and endorsements to rules and court dimensions?

History and Growth of the NBA vs. WNBA

Eight Decades of the NBA

The NBA considers its founding to have been in 1946, even though it was created in 1949 through the merger of the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League; it later adopted the BAA’s history.

By the early '90s, it had grown into one of the world's most powerful sports leagues, fueled by icons like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. Expansion franchises, lucrative TV deals and international reach have helped transform the NBA into a global brand with billions in annual revenue.

The WNBA's Journey Since the '90s

By contrast, the WNBA is still relatively young. It was founded in 1996, tipped off its inaugural season in 1997 and was heavily backed by the NBA. Early stars like Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes gave the league its foundation, while Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi carried it into the modern era.

As growth has accelerated in recent years, the WNBA has begun a massive expansion. It has 13 teams as of 2025 — a figure that is scheduled to be 18 by 2030. Attendance spikes, record TV ratings and the arrival of young, marketable stars such as Clark and Angel Reese have fueled the WNBA's surge.

NBA vs. WNBA Salaries and Revenue

Salaries

The average NBA player's salary is expected to be more than $14 million during the 2025-26 season, according to Basketball Reference, with stars such as Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic making over $55 million annually. In contrast, the WNBA's average base salary in 2025 is $102,249, with supermax contracts reaching $249,244 in annual base pay.

Revenue Sharing and Basketball-Related Income

NBA players are guaranteed 49-51% of the league's basketball-related income (BRI). In comparison, WNBA players' share of BRI is notably lower at 9.3%. WNBA players have been vocal about their displeasure with that number and made headlines when Team Clark and Team Collier wore "Pay Us What You Owe Us" shirts while warming up for the 2025 All-Star Game.

Offseason Play and Endorsements

To boost their earnings, many WNBA stars have historically played overseas during the offseason. More recently, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart’s Unrivaled league has provided players the chance to earn an average of $220,000 while competing in 3-on-3 basketball domestically.

Endorsements have long fueled NBA players' wealth — LeBron James' lifetime Nike deal in 2015 is a prime example — but WNBA players are seeing bigger off-court paydays too. Clark earned $11 million in endorsements in 2024, while A'ja Wilson's six-year Nike extension from December reportedly was one of the richest shoe deals ever for a women's basketball player.

Ratings, Attendance and Popularity

Ratings

The NBA has historically dominated in viewership and attendance, but the gap has been closing in recent years. In the 2024-25 season, NBA regular-season games averaged 1.53 million viewers across national TV broadcasts. In comparison, 2025 WNBA regular-season games on ESPN networks averaged 1.3 million viewers, up 6% year over year.

Attendance

Both leagues have been setting attendance records recently. The NBA had its second-highest all-time attendance mark in 2024-25, averaging 18,147 fans per game. The WNBA, meanwhile, broke its single-season mark in the 2025 regular season for total attendance and averaged 10,986 attendees per game.

(Note: The smallest NBA arena, Smoothie King Center, holds 16,867 people, while the smallest in the WNBA, Gateway Center Arena, holds 3,500.)

Popularity

While WNBA players are increasingly becoming more popular on social media, they still don't rival some of the more established names in the NBA.

Most Popular WNBA Players on Instagram

Angel Reese (@angelreese5) – Chicago Sky – 5.1 million followers
Caitlin Clark (@caitlinclark22) – Indiana Fever – 3.6 million
Paige Bueckers (@paigebueckers) – Dallas Wings – 2.9 million
Sabrina Ionescu (@sabrina_i) – New York Liberty – 1.5 million
Hailey Van Lith (@haileyvanlith) – Chicago Sky – 1.3 million

Most Popular NBA Players on Instagram

LeBron James (@kingjames) – Los Angeles Lakers – 158 million followers
Stephen Curry(@stephencurry30) – Golden State Warriors – 58.1 million
Russell Westbrook(@russwest44) – Free agent (as of September 2025) – 22.8 million
Kyrie Irving(@kyrieirving) – Dallas Mavericks – 20.3 million
Lonzo Ball (@zo) – Cleveland Cavaliers – 18 million

NBA vs. WNBA on the Court

NBA and WNBA games differ in several key ways. NBA contests feature four 12-minute quarters, while WNBA games have four 10-minute quarters, making each WNBA possession more impactful. Both leagues use a 24-second shot clock that resets to 14 seconds after offensive rebounds.

Courts share the same 94-foot length, but the NBA's 3-point line is farther — 23 feet, 9 inches at the top of the arc and 22 feet in the corners, compared with the WNBA's uniform 20 feet, 6.25 inches. The WNBA also uses a smaller game ball, with a 28.5- to 29-inch circumference and an 18- to 20-ounce weight, vs. the NBA's 29.5 inches and 22 ounces.

Timeout rules also differ: WNBA teams receive five team timeouts and one reset timeout, which can be used in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime. NBA teams, meanwhile, are allotted seven charged timeouts per game. In both leagues, teams are limited to two team timeouts in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter.

The Future of Both Leagues

The NBA's future remains tied to global growth. With games in Abu Dhabi, Mexico City and Paris, the league continues to showcase itself around the world, which, in turn, has led to bigger media rights deals through the years.

The WNBA, meanwhile, has aggressively been trending upward in North America, with rising TV ratings, growing attendance and even a Canadian team, the Toronto Tempo, set to begin play in 2026.

As the much younger WNBA continues to close the gap in ratings, fair pay and revenue sharing will likely stay a key storyline for the league.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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