Brittney Griner Net Worth 2026: WNBA Salary, Russia Pay and Sun Deal

Brittney Griner's net worth is about $5 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth (updated September 22, 2026, checked September 2026). That is modest for one of the most decorated players in women's basketball, and the reason is timing: for most of her career the WNBA capped her pay at around $228,000 a year, and her biggest paychecks came from clubs in China and Russia. Her first seven-figure WNBA contract arrived only in 2026.

Where the money comes from

WNBA salary: small for a decade, then a jump

Griner went first overall to the Phoenix Mercury in 2013. Celebrity Net Worth says her four-year rookie deal paid just over $200,000 in total. She later signed an extension worth about $554,000 and then a three-year deal worth $644,544 through 2022. Even as a 10-time All-Star, her WNBA salary peaked at about $228,000 a season.

That changed with the league's new collective bargaining agreement, which took effect in 2026. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the team salary cap went from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million in 2026, and the maximum individual pay rose to $1.4 million. In April 2026 ESPN reported that Griner was finalizing a seven-figure deal with the Connecticut Sun. The Sun announced a one-year contract without giving terms, in line with team policy. The New York Post, citing Spotrac, puts it at $1.19 million, the maximum for her.

Overseas income

For years, Griner earned more in the WNBA off-season than in the WNBA season. Celebrity Net Worth reports she was paid $600,000 for a four-month season with China's Zhejiang Golden Bulls in 2013, several times her WNBA salary at the time. She later played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia for close to $1 million a season and won Russian League and EuroLeague titles with the club. That income ended with her detention in Russia in 2022.

Endorsements

Nike signed Griner to a multiyear endorsement deal in 2013, soon after the draft. Celebrity Net Worth notes that she was the first openly gay athlete Nike endorsed, and that online claims of a $1 million Nike deal are not supported: ESPN reporting at the time described terms in the normal range for WNBA players. Other endorsement values are not public.

Career and how she got here

Griner was born on October 18, 1990, in Houston, Texas.

• Baylor: led Baylor to an undefeated national championship season.
• 2013: first overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury; signed with Nike; played in China in the off-season.
• 2014: won the WNBA championship with Phoenix and the FIBA World Cup with Team USA.
• 2016, 2021, 2024: Olympic gold medals with Team USA. She also won a second World Cup gold in 2018.
• 2022: detained in Russia in February, designated as wrongfully detained by the U.S. government, and released in a prisoner exchange in December after nearly 10 months, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
• 2025: left Phoenix after 11 seasons and signed with the Atlanta Dream.
• 2026: signed a one-year deal with the Connecticut Sun.

Across her Phoenix years she won two Defensive Player of the Year awards and was named to multiple All-WNBA teams and 10 All-Star games, per Celebrity Net Worth.

What the 2026 pay change means for her

Griner's career shows the old economics of the WNBA clearly. A player good enough to be the first pick and a 10-time All-Star still earned less in a WNBA season than she could make in four months in China. That pushed stars to play year-round, which added injury risk and, in Griner's case, put her in Russia in 2022. Under the new labor deal the league's top salaries are in the seven figures, so a player of her standing can now earn a comparable living without playing overseas. For Griner, who is 35, the change came late in her career rather than at its peak, which is the main reason her net worth trails younger stars who will spend their best years under the new pay scale.

Recent changes (2025-2026)

• First seven-figure WNBA salary. Her 2026 Sun contract is more than four times her previous peak league pay, as Celebrity Net Worth notes.
• Documentary. The Brittney Griner Story premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in January, per the New York Post.
• Team relocation. The Sun are moving to Houston, Griner's hometown, from the 2027 season. Her contract covered only 2026, so she has no guaranteed place with the team after the move.
• Divorce filing. ABC News reported that Griner filed for divorce from her wife, Cherelle, in Fulton County, Georgia, in July 2026 after eight years of marriage, asking for an equitable division of marital assets and debts and joint custody of their son. The New York Post, citing TMZ, reported in September 2026 that Cherelle had asked the court for financial support. The case was unresolved at the time of writing.

Assets

No reputable outlet has reported details of Griner's property or investments. Her divorce petition asks for division of assets "both real and personal," according to ABC News, but the filings reported so far do not list them. Any settlement could change her net worth, and we will not speculate on the outcome.

Net worth compared

Griner's figure shows how new real money is in women's basketball. Caitlin Clark, who entered the WNBA in 2024, already has a net worth of $20 million on Celebrity Net Worth, four times Griner's, largely from endorsements. For other athletes on this site, compare Venus Williams, whose tennis earnings came from a sport that paid women far more much earlier, and pickleball's Anna Leigh Waters, another woman in a sport where pay has risen quickly.

Why estimates differ and how this figure was reached

Brittney Griner net worth estimates range from about $4 million to $5 million on sites that cite sources, with some blogs claiming $17 million or more without evidence.

• Overseas pay is estimated. The Chinese and Russian salaries were reported, not disclosed in official filings, and she played in Russia for several seasons.
• Lost income. Her 2022 detention cost her a full season of pay in both leagues.
• Divorce. The pending case could divide marital assets.
• New contract. Her 2026 salary is the first at this level and has not yet had time to add much to her savings after taxes.

We use Celebrity Net Worth's $5 million because it was updated this month and sets out her contract history in detail.