WNBA star Cameron Brink had to learn to negotiate her worth faster than most 22-year-olds.

Brink, who became New Balance’s first female basketball ambassador while still at Stanford University, entered the world of professional basketball earlier this year with a NIL valuation exceeding $200,000, as per Sports Illustrated.

The second overall pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft — only behind Caitlin Clark — earned $76,535 in his 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 has signed partnerships with prominent brands such as Icy Hot, Urban Decay, Skims and SoFi.

“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.”

Brink attributes her growth in negotiation skills to observing experienced 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 negotiations, Brink says, is to research the companies she’s negotiating with.

“I want to know if they are financially sound and have opportunities for growth. I have found company websites as a starting point,” explains Brink. “My increased confidence has come from learning and learning from every partnership and meeting I’m in. With every deal I learn what I want to change with the next one.”

DON’T MISS: The ultimate guide to negotiating a higher salary

Conducting research may seem obvious before any negotiation, but it is a step that many neglect.

Adam Broda, a senior executive at Amazon and career coach, has spent more than a decade in recruiting—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 why. behind their claim or present research to back it up.

“If you just throw out numbers without providing a chain of logic as to how you got there, it looks like a cash grab,” he told recently CNBC does. You also risk 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, sponsorship can make a big difference.

The highest-paid athletes in the WNBA make close to $250,000 a year, while a brand deal can bring in anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000, said Taylor Burner, a former agent for the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA). Vogue Business last year.

In contrast, the highest-paid players in the NBA make 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,” says Brink. “But the advice I would 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 have earned your place and it’s okay to own it.”

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