While much has been made of Iowa forward Caitlin Clark’s impending induction in the WNBA with Monday night’s draft, less has been said about the woman who probably would be the No. 1 pick if she were not entering the league at the same moment as a once-in-a-generation star: Stanford forward Cameron Brink.
Brink is the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 2 pick on Monday night, heading to the L.A. Sparks
Like Clark, Brink will come into a WNBA that is surging in popularity but still is surprisingly well behind in what it pays its players, especially its young stars, compared with the NBA. All draftees into the WNBA will star on rookie scale contracts, which is standard in pro sports.
But the No. 2 pick in the draft is locked into a contract that pays $76,535 in its first year, which is the same amount as the other Top 4 picks, per Spotrac. In Year 2, that goes up to $78,066. The final year of the deal is for $85,873, with a fourth-year option at $97,582.
NBA Picks Make 40 Times Their WNBA Counterparts
By way of comparison, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NBA draft is slated to make $3.1 million in his first season, though is eligible to make up to 20% more than that. Brink’s salary would be just slightly more than the median pay for a school teacher in Los Angeles ($64K) and slightly less and the average occupational therapist ($78K), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
But Brink, of course, will have other opportunities for added pay—namely, endorsements. According to On3 Sports, Brink’s estimated NIL revenue during her career at Stanford was $200K per year. Over the course of her time with the Cardinal, she had deals with big-time brands like Sprouts Farmers Market, Keurig, the dating site Bumble, Ritz crackers, Icy Hot, Buick and Urban Outfitters.
Brink’s most significant deal, though, was with New Balance shoes, as she became the first woman basketball player to sign with the brand last August.
“We are thrilled to welcome Cameron as the first female basketball player to join the New Balance family,” Naveen Lokesh, head of basketball sports marketing, said in a statement from New Balance. “Cameron’s exceptional skill on the court and her desire to give back align perfectly with New Balance’s desire to change the game for the better. We are excited to support Cameron reaching new heights in her career and contributing to the growth of women’s basketball for years to come.”
Cameron Brink Was Defensive Player of the Year
Brink has certainly earned the accolades, and is likely to earn a lot more once she establishes herself for the rebuilding Sparks, who also own the No. 4 pick in the draft.
Brink will enter the WNBA as one of the great defensive players to come out of the women’s game in recent memory. At 6-foot-4, she recorded 424 blocks during her four-year college career, and led Division I with 3.7 blocks per game in 2023-24.
She has been the Pac 12’s Defensive Player of the year each of the last three seasons, and won the national Defensive Player of the Year award this season.
Brink also significantly improved as a scorer in the post, and averaged 17.1 points with 11.9 rebounds in her final NCAA season.
Comments
Cameron Brink WNBA Salary: Eye-Opening Projection for Likely No. 2 Pick