Breanna Stewart Salary: WNBA Finals MVP Earns Less Than NBA Rookie Tyler Herro

Breanna Stewart is on her way to become an all-time great in the WNBA. Fans could expect her to demand millions in salary, but the reality is contrary to that.

Stewart is fresh from winning the WNBA title after she helped the Seattle Storm defeat the Las Vegas Aces. Her averages of 28.3 points and 7.6 rebounds earned her the Finals MVP trophy, her second in her career in as many finals trophies, per Insider.

A year ago, the future seemed uncertain for the towering forward. Stewart tore her Achilles in 2019 and to be dominating in the finals and to be back to herself like she did not suffer a career-changing injury speak about her talent and dedication on the court. She initially doubted herself, but winning another ring trumped all the worries.

"You see all the worst things. You see all the worst and then I wasn't sure if I was ever going to be back to where I was," Stewart said.

She will be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame in the future. Her list of achievements is already long and at just 26 years old, it’s scary how much time she has left to rewrite history books. The former University of Connecticut star is a 4-time NCAA champion, 4-time NCAA Most Outstanding Player, Olympic Gold Medallist, former Rookie of the Year and 2-time All-Star, per SB Nation.

Unfortunately, even though she is one of the faces of the WNBA, she is only paid $185,000 this year. Moreover, next season, should the Storm repeat, Stewart will only make $190,500. That means the Storm will only pay the 2-time finals MVP less than $400,000 in two years, a report from Spotrac revealed.

When compared to the salary of rookie Tyler Herro, who earned $3.6 million for the 2019-2020 NBA season, the reigning finals MVP’s salary is shockingly low. Players from both WNBA and NBA have campaigned to make the salary more competitive for the women’s league. Even bonafide stars like Stewart could only earn as much, and one can just imagine how much other players of lesser stature are earning per year.

Good thing Stewart earns some money off the court via lucrative endorsement deals. According to Syracuse.com, Nike signed her to a long-term deal in 2019. Nike compared her versatility and play to another superstar Kevin Durant.

Bringing the pay gap between WNBA players and NBA players closer may still take years. It is up to the league stars such as Stewart to continue to prove they deserve it.