The WNBA has never been more valuable. Television ratings continue climbing, arenas are selling out weeks in advance and corporate America is finally writing the kinds of checks women athletes have spent decades earning. But visibility alone doesn’t create wealth. The next chapter of women’s basketball isn’t simply about bigger audiences or blockbuster partnerships. It’s about ensuring the women fueling the league’s meteoric rise have the knowledge and resources to turn today’s momentum into lasting financial security for generations to come.
WNBA All-Star Weekend brought record-breaking crowds to Chicago, reflecting the unprecedented attention surrounding women’s basketball. As the league continues to grow, so does an important question: How can this moment translate into lasting financial opportunities for the women driving the game forward?
For WNBA players Napheesa Collier, Sydney Colson and Breanna Stewart, the answer begins with financial literacy.
Colson said she has always prioritized saving, but her understanding of money has evolved throughout her career.
“I used to think that just saving was enough,” she said. “But I’m learning that it’s good to have a plan, so you’re not getting to the end of playing or the end of whatever career you’re in and realizing 10 years have gone by, and you haven’t done anything to help yourself.”
Colson also understands the impact brands can have when their support extends beyond a single season. Ally was among the first brands to invest in her, and continued working with her after she tore her ACL.
“Their investment in women’s sports and in the players is extremely impactful because it really does affect people’s ability to create generational wealth,” she said.
While each player’s journey looks different, a common thread emerged throughout All-Star Weekend: earning bigger contracts is only part of the equation. Knowing how to preserve, invest and grow that income may prove just as valuable.
For Collier, the continued growth of women’s sports and the possibilities surrounding a new collective bargaining agreement make financial education even more urgent.
“As athletes, we have such a finite amount of time to make this money,” Collier said. “This career doesn’t last forever for us.”
She wishes she had learned budgeting earlier, particularly after receiving her first professional paycheck. Now, motherhood has made the stakes even greater.
“Everything I do is for her,” Collier said of her daughter. “Making sure she’s set up and that I’m putting us as a family in the best position possible is really important to me.”
Stewart’s definition of success has also expanded beyond championships.
“At first, it was success on the court, and now it’s so much bigger than that,” she said. “It’s about being impactful and making sure that I leave my mark everywhere I go.”
She believes today’s athletes must also become students of investing and wealth building.
“It hasn’t happened often,” Stewart said of generational wealth among women athletes. “Now with so much more money coming in, you want to be prepared.”
For generations, women athletes have often retired long before reaching the earning potential routinely afforded to many of their male counterparts, making financial planning less of a luxury and more of a necessity. As new investment continues to pour into women’s sports, financial education is becoming an increasingly important part of the conversation.
Jackie Howard, Ally’s Head of Money Wellness, believes financial wellness is about far more than building a bank account. She encourages women to examine the beliefs they inherited about money because those early experiences often shape financial decisions well into adulthood.
“Your money should be a reflection of who you are,” Howard said. “It’s your beliefs, your values and how those drive your spending, saving and giving.”
She said one of the biggest barriers to building wealth is waiting until you feel like you’ve mastered personal finance before taking action.
“I just need you to try,” Howard said. “The more reps you have, the more confidence you build.”
As more companies deepen their investment in women’s sports, many are looking beyond traditional sponsorships by pairing athlete partnerships with educational resources designed to help players navigate long-term financial planning.
Andrea Brimmer, Ally’s Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer, said the company’s approach has evolved alongside the league’s rapid growth.
“Our approach has evolved from helping create visibility for women’s sports to ensuring the spotlight they’re garnering now never fades,” Brimmer said.
Rather than treating its investment as sponsorship alone, Ally has focused on using athlete stories to make financial conversations more approachable.
“Sponsorship can raise awareness, but education creates lasting impact,” Brimmer said. “If someone walks away feeling more empowered to ask questions, start investing or simply have more open conversations about money, that’s a win.”
The WNBA’s cultural breakthrough is already here. The financial breakthrough is still being written. If this generation of players can pair unprecedented earning power with the tools to preserve and multiply it, their greatest legacy won’t simply be changing women’s basketball. It’ll be redefining what generational wealth can look like for the athletes and families who follow.