NBA ALL-STAR GAME
Sabrina Ionescu contract details: how much money does the WNBA star make a year?
The 26-year-old has spent the past four years with the New York Liberty where she has gone from strength to strength. Her performance in last year’s All-Star Skills contest went down in history.
Among WNBA’s big name stars is Sabrina Ionescu, one of the most exciting players to have emerged in the women’s game in recent years. After a difficult first season with the New York Liberty guard which was blighted by an ankle injury, Sabrina has gone from strength to strength and is now widely regarded as one of the best players in the women’s league.
The 26-year-old has surpassed several career landmarks during the past three years. In 2021, she became the youngest WNBA player to record a triple-double - joining an elite group of 14 players to have achieved the feat. In 2022, she recorded several career highs including the most points in one game (37), pulling down the most rebounds (13) and dishing out the most assists (16).
Super sharp shooting in the All-Star three-point contest
She hit the headlines for scoring 26 points with just 11 shots in a sizzling 26-minute display against the Minnesota Lynx, which she capped off with eight assists and eight rebounds. And last year she made history in the All-Star Skills Challenge contest, scoring an astonishing 37 points in the Starry three-point contest - she missed just shots, the first from the first rack and the last from the fourth rack - an historic feat never achieved before or since by any NBA or WNBA player. She smashed the previous record of 31 set two years previously by Steph Curry - the man she will take on in the first ever NBA versus WNBA 3-Point Challenge this weekend.
WNBA players to have recorded triple-doubles
- Alyssa Thomas (11)
- Sabrina Ionescu (3)
- Candace Parker (3)
- Sheryl Swoopes (2)
- Courtney Vandersloot (2)
- Chelsea Gray (2)
- Margo Dydek
- Lisa Leslie
- Deanna Nolan
- Temeka Johnson
- Moriah Jefferson
- Courtney Williams
- Satou Sabally
- Sug Sutton
The New York Liberty selected Ionescu with the first overall pick in the 2020 WNBA draft. In May 2022, New York exercised its fourth-year team option to extend Ionescu’s rookie contract through the 2023 season and in May of that year, she signed a two-year contract extension with the franchise worth $410,060 - all $410,060 of it guaranteed with an annual average salary of $205,030. This year, she will earn a base salary of $202,000, while carrying a cap hit of $202,000.
The player said of her extension, “I’m thankful and honored to be able to represent the New York Liberty for the next couple years. [Owners] Joe and Clara Wu Tsai, [General Manager] Jonathan Kolb, and the entire Liberty organization has been nothing short of amazing over my time here, and I’m thrilled to work towards bringing a championship back to New York City.”
Ionescu will face Stephen Curry in a new NBA vs WNBA 3-Point Challenge on Saturday with both players shooting from the NBA line - Curry will be using the official men’s NBA ball and shooting from the perimeter of the men’s competition (7.24 meters), and Ionescu using the WNBA ball to shoot from the women’s distance (6.75 meters). The All-Star Saturday Night gets underway at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday 17 February.