'Seriously broken' — Paige Bueckers's new salary a reminder how little WNBA players earn

You might think a big paycheque would be a slam dunk. 

Basketball player Paige Bueckers, after helping UConn win its 12th national championship on Monday, became the WNBA's No. 1 draft pick by the Dallas Wings. 

The three-time, first-team All-American has done the nighttime talk show circuit, made headlines around the world, and in a month Bueckers will make her WNBA debut when the Wings open their season against the Minnesota Lynx.

"It's a great time to be in women's sports," Bueckers told Good Morning America on Wednesday.

Yet basketball's newest star is projected to earn just $78,831 US for her rookie year — about $109,480 Cdn, or less than the real median household income in the States. The No. 1 draft pick for the NBA, by comparison, can expect to earn $13.8 million US in his rookie year, according to sports salary reporting site Spotrac.

Still, Bueckers's salary isn't unexpected. The details are right there in the rookie salary scale system in the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement. And it's a slight uptick from last year, when first-round pick Caitlin Clark was drafted with a starting salary of $76,535 US for her rookie season.

BREAKING: Paige Bueckers is signing a 3-year deal with Unrivaled (per <a href="https://twitter.com/kendra__andrews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kendra__andrews</a>). Bueckers’ Unrivaled deal, after one year, is expected to exceed her entire projected 4-year WNBA rookie salary.<br><br>“Bueckers' first-year salary for the 10-week Unrivaled season will exceed what… <a href="https://t.co/7gv8RWx8AE">pic.twitter.com/7gv8RWx8AE</a>

But this is coupled with the news that Bueckers is also signing with the 3-on-3 league Unrivaled, where she will reportedly earn more in just one year of playing than she