Mikayla Cowling is a very good basketball player, and the fact that she was cut so quickly shows just how hard it is to make a roster in the WNBA.

If she wants to keep playing, I'm sure she can find a spot in Europe or somewhere overseas, but that lifestyle isn't for everyone. It's possible, though not likely, that she could add to her game over time and eventually return to the WNBA, but that too takes a certain commitment.

Regardless, congrats to Mikayla for a great collegiate career and getting drafted by the WNBA. Hopefully she keeps playing and finds a home in the league down the road ...

Congrats Mikayla ! Keep pressing.

Having been drafted as a Professional (WNBA) has to be an awesome experience and something that very few will ever obtain,




Clay I may have asked before and I know you posted the information before. Can you give an update on the potential salary of an overseas player. I know those who played in the WNBA and even drafted have a higher potential for earnings.

The pay rate in the WNBA is not that good -- rookies (aside from the top few picks) get around $45,000 and are on rookie scale (which goes up incrementally) for four years.

The overseas pay scale, however, will ratchet up significantly for a WNBA player so making the roster and the $45,000 means probably a $25,000 to $50,000 boost overseas. (I confess I'm guessing here -- it could be more, but I'm pretty sure it's not less.)

The top players in the top leagues make $200,000 or more, and a WNBA starter probably makes $150,000, plus her WNBA salary (max is around $100,000). Usually they get free apartments, some food and transportation of one sort or another, and they have year-round health care from the WNBA.

But Mikayla Cowling can probably start out at $75,000 and get more if she does well, so conceivably a ten-year career will generate around $1.5 million, which is a lot better than most in their 20s. Or 50s.

I don't have the stats on women, but the average tenure in the NBA is a bit over 4 years. A 10 year "career" in women's basketball in Europe seems highly unlikely.

bearchamp said:

---

I don't have the stats on women, but the average tenure in the NBA is a bit over 4 years. A 10 year "career" in women's basketball in Europe seems highly unlikely.

---

You are talking apples and oranges. There are far fewer teams in the NBA than their are available teams to play for in womans professional sport. The constant influx of new talent and the limited amount of roster spots available make it hard for lesser talented players to extend their careers. Now the same would apply to the WNBA, in fact even more so because they have fewer teams, but we are not talking WNBA or NBA but over seas teams. 10 years is doable.

The difference here is overseas play, and Cowling can, barring injury, play there for ten years. She might not make as much money if she doesn't play well, but overseas teams at all levels are looking for talent.

And the same is true in the NBA -- any player who's made an NBA roster is good enough to play overseas for pretty much as long as he wants. And those who do make a lot of money compared to those the same age who don't play basketball for a living.

I think people tend to forget the financial advantages to playing professional basketball outside the U.S. are significant, given what people in their 20s make in most other careers.