The WNBA has been growing steadily over the past decade, but seems to have reached a tipping point early in the 2024 season. Big-name rookies with prodigious college careers such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have also drawn more attention to the league.
With league-wide attendance up by nearly a third, some see this season as having the potential to be a breakout year for the WNBA. Potential higher ratings would equal more revenue and higher salaries.
The highest-paid WNBA coaches of 2024 are still paid far less than their NBA counterparts, but are commanding decent salaries.
Nate Tibbetts is the highest-paid WNBA coach of 2024. His salary is reported to be over $1 million, topping Becky Hammon’s spot as the previous highest-paid coach.
Tibbetts is the newest hire of the Phoenix Mercury. He spent the last three seasons as an assistant with the Orlando Magic. Tibbetts brings a wealth of experience as an assistant coach in the NBA, but his hire isn’t without controversy.
His large contract for a coach who has never coached in the WNBA raised a few eyebrows. The hire could boost WNBA coaches’ salaries going forward.
Becky Hammon is second on the list, bringing in $1 million annually to coach the Las Vegas Aces. She’s the first woman ever hired as an assistant coach in the NBA, as she spent eight years with the San Antonio Spurs.
She’s been wildly successful since taking over the Las Vegas head coaching job. The Aces just won their second straight WNBA championship in 2023.
Two coaches are tied for third. Curt Miller of the Sparks and Cheryl Reeve of the Lynx earn $700,000 each.
Miller has racked up 150 wins with the Sparks and two WNBA finals appearances. Reeve has the most wins as a head coach in WNBA history, leading the Lynx to four WNBA titles and 281 wins.
A three-way tie for fifth rounds out the list. Sandy Brondello, Christie Sides, and Eric Thibault all earn $500,000 yearly as head coaches.
Brondello works with the Liberty and won her first WNBA championship in 2014. Sides is in her second season with the Fever, working with the team to build a winning culture.
Thibault is also in his second season with the Mystics. His father, Mike Thibault, was their longtime head coach. He’d led them to their first WNBA finals appearance in 2018 and retired in 2022.
Ranking The Highest-Paid WNBA Coaches
Here are the top 5 highest-paid WNBA coaches of 2024. The list was compiled with data from the WNBA and Sportysalaries.
- Updated: June 13, 2024
| Rank | Coach | Team | WNBA Titles | Total Compensation |
| 1 | Nate Tibbetts | Phoenix Mercury | 0 | ~$1.2 million |
| 2 | Becky Hammon | Las Vegas Aces | 2 | $1 million |
| T-3 | Curt Miller | Los Angeles Sparks | 0 | $700K |
| T-3 | Cheryl Reeve | Minnesota Lynx | 4 | $700K |
| T-5 | Sandy Brondello | New York Liberty | 1 | $500K |
| T-5 | Christie Sides | Indiana Fever | 0 | $500K |
| T-5 | Eric Thibault | Washington Mystics | 0 | $500K |
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