WNBA Playoff Bonuses 2025 by Round: How Much Each Player Will Make

A look at how much WNBA players will make during the playoffs.

The Liberty celebrate after winning the 2024 WNBA Finals over the Lynx. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The WNBA playoffs are in full swing as the first round of the postseason has begun across the league. Teams are not only playing for the WNBA Championship Trophy, but also for extra money in the form of playoff bonuses.

Eight teams made the three-round postseason, and every player on those teams will get a pay bump, the size of which will be determined by how far their team goes in the playoffs.

How Much Do WNBA Players Make in Playoff Bonuses?

For the 2025 season, each player whose team is eliminated in the first round will receive a $1,616 bonus. Those eliminated in the semifinals will get $3,123. Players on the WNBA Finals runner-up will receive $7,746, and every member of the championship-winning team will receive $20,825.

Round	Bonus
First Round	$1,616
Semifinal	$3,123
Finals Runner-Up	$7,746
Champion	$20,825

By comparison, players on the Commissioner's Cup-winning Indiana Fever earned up to $30,000 in 2025. The team split a $500,000 prize pool and $120,000 in cryptocurrency from sponsor Coinbase. Natasha Howard was the MVP of the event and earned an extra $5,000 for that performance. Earlier this season, Caitlin Clark used the Commissioner's Cup payout to plead for higher playoff bonuses.

The new CBA is sure to address the discrepancy in payouts for the postseason and the Commissioner's Cup among a whole host of other financial issues the league's players are seeking major change on.

2024 WNBA Playoffs Recap

The Liberty's players ultimately earned that $20,825 each in 2024 after winning the franchise's first championship. New York topped the Lynx 3–2 in an intense five-game series.

To reach the finals, the Liberty swept the Dream in the first round, then dispatched the defending champion Aces 3–1 in the semifinals. Minnesota swept the Mercury in the opening round, then battled the Sun in a tight five-game series, ultimately winning 3–2 before losing to New York in the championship series.

Overall, the Lynx players earned $7,746, while the Las Vegas and Connecticut players each received $3,123. The Dream, Mercury, Storm and Fever players were all awarded $1,616.

2025 WNBA Playoffs Matchups

This year, Minnesota earned the No. 1 seed and will face the Valkyries in the opening round. The No. 2-seeded Aces will face Seattle, while third-seeded Atlanta is matching up with Indiana in the first round. The defending champion Liberty earned the No. 5 seed and are facing the fourth-seeded Mercury to open the playoffs.

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