Making it back to the WNBA after six years is impressive enough, but to return as a contributor on the best team in the league takes it to another level. Maria Kliundikova has reminded everyone exactly what they were missing. The six-foot-four center for the Minnesota Lynx has carved out a role by giving the team solid production in limited minutes. When she’s on the court, there’s no doubt she belongs, holding her own against some of the league’s toughest competition.
After Minnesota’s dominant regular season of 30-14, fans have started to take notice of the Russian center’s impact. Naturally, curiosity is growing about her journey beyond the hardwood, specifically her net worth, contract, and salary. Let’s take a closer look at what we know so far.
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What is Maria Kliundikova’s net worth?
Sadly, there’s no public information available about Maria Kliundikova’s net worth as of 2025. The Minnesota Lynx star has been playing in the Russian Premier League for the last six years, and we don’t have any information about her salary or contract details from then. Stay tuned, however, as we will update this section as and when we get more details!
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Maria Kliundikova’s contract breakdown and salary
The Minnesota Lynx signed the six-foot-four center from Russia on a one-year, veteran-minimum contract at the end of the season. It was a smart ploy by Cheryl Reeve’s camp, as they got a lot of value for money while allowing the star to get another shot at the big leagues. Let’s take a look at her exact contract details:
As we can see, Kliundikova’s average annual salary is $66,079; however, the Minnesota Lynx star’s base salary is $54,418, which is what she will be making this year. While she’s on a vet-minimum, there’s a chance that the Lynx star might get a championship out of it! What more could you want? In terms of a better contract, it’s on the way. Maria Kliundikova has proved that she can help even the best team in the league to more wins, and that’s something GMs are taking note of!
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Maria Kliundikova’s Career Earnings
Maria Kliundikova, as fate would have it, is only in her third WNBA season at the age of 27. She was on a rookie-scale contract with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2018 and 2019, and is currently on a veteran-minimum contract with the Minnesota Lynx. Let’s take a look at her year-by-year earnings so far:
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As we can see, through three seasons in the WNBA, the Russian center has earned $142,095. However, we can expect this number to grow larger as she continues to cement her place in the league.
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Maria Kliundikova’s college and professional career
Maria Kliundikova didn’t follow the traditional route of high school, college, to the league. The Russian star was a young prodigy, to say the least. She made her international debut at the FIBA Europe U-16 Championship in 2013 and went on to represent the senior team in just two years. Imagine a sixteen-year-old playing in the Eurobasket. Crazy, right? But it was only upwards from there.
Kliundikova represented Russia in the Eurobasket in 2015 and 2017, and was a big name in the Euroleague circuits as well, playing for Sparta&K and Dynamo Kursk. Her performances paid off, as the Los Angeles Sparks drafted her 11th overall in the 2018 WNBA draft. However, because of some visa issues, the six-foot-four center couldn’t make her debut immediately. She played just 25 games in her rookie season and 15 games in her sophomore season, although she had improved significantly in year 2.
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Sadly, the fit didn’t work out between her and the Sparks, as she was waived from the team after her sophomore season. For the last six years, Kliundikova was out balling for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Euroleague, hoping for a second shot at the big leagues, and the Minnesota Lynx swooped her up midway through the season.
After playing 34 games for them in the regular season, it’s safe to say that Maria Kliundikova belongs with the best of the best. We’re hoping that the Russian star, after this season, has better free-agency prospects and a championship to her name!