Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink (22) laughs after a play during the WNBA basketball game between the Las Vegas Aces and the Los Angeles Sparks on June 09, 2024, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA.
WNBA star Cameron Brink had to learn how to negotiate her worth sooner than most 22-year-olds.
Brink, who became New Balance's first female basketball ambassador while still at Stanford University, entered the professional basketball world earlier this year with an NIL valuation exceeding $200,000, according to Sports Illustrated.
The second-overall pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft — behind only Caitlin Clark — earned $76,535 her rookie season and will be paid $78,066 by the Los Angeles Sparks next year.
Despite suffering a torn ACL in June that sidelined her rookie season, Brink's momentum off the court hasn't slowed. She's signed partnerships with prominent brands like Icy Hot, Urban Decay, Skims and SoFi.
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"Building my confidence in negotiations has been a journey for me, but I remind myself that my skills and hard work are valuable," Brink told CNBC Make It in an email. "Young women should know that it's okay to ask for what we deserve — if we don't speak up for ourselves, no one else will do it for us."
Brink credits her growth in negotiation skills to observing seasoned professionals. She counts WNBA champion and three-time All-Star Dearica Hamby and four-time NBA champion Steph Curry among her mentors.
The most important step she takes to prepare for any negotiation, Brink says, is to research the companies she negotiates with.
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"I want to know if they are financially healthy and have opportunities for growth; I've found companies' websites to help as a starting point," Brink explains. "My increased confidence has come from learning in and learning from each partnership and meeting I am in. With each deal, I learn what I want to change about the next one."
DON'T MISS: The ultimate guide to negotiating a higher salary
Conducting research may seem obvious before any negotiation, but it's a step that many people neglect.
Adam Broda, a senior manager at Amazon and career coach, has spent more than a decade in the hiring field — and he says one of the most common and costly mistakes people make in a salary negotiation is asking for a higher salary without explaining the rationale behind their request or presenting research to back it up.
"If you're just throwing out numbers without providing a chain of logic as to how you got there, it looks like a cash grab," he recently told CNBC Make It. You also run the risk of coming across as "inauthentic or selfish," he added.
Another strategy Brink says has helped her build her confidence and sharpen her business acumen is cultivating a network of "trusted advisors" she can turn to for advice on how to approach negotiations.
In a league where player salaries are still as low as they are, sponsorships can make all the difference.
The highest-paid athletes in the WNBA earn close to $250,000 a year, while one brand deal can bring in anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000, Taylor Burner, a former agent for the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), told Vogue Business last year.
By contrast, the highest-paid players in the NBA are earning more than $50 million a year — and that's before factoring in sponsorships.
"It's easy to let self-doubt creep in, especially when you're facing new challenges or trying to prove yourself early in your career," Brink says. "But the advice I'd give to other women in their 20s is the same thing I tell myself: Trust that you deserve to be where you are, that you've worked hard to get here and remind yourself that you've earned your place and it's okay to own it."
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