With the WNBA All-Star Weekend behind us and Unmatched season 2 On the horizon, it is safe to say that it has really been the year for women’s basketball. WNBA consistently broke the audience and a look -looking record All season long, and college ball did not slack either: during March Madness pulled the woman’s title game in Third highest viewers on recordTops 9.9 million. So, can we put the tired old idea that women’s sports will never be as popular as men to rest yet?
Call it the long-lasting Caitlin Clark effect, call it deserved yet delayed attention; Women’s basketball enjoys their time in the sun. But that limelight also highlights a slightly more upsetting story – and that means salary.
In 2025, All-Star Weekend player made a statement about dissatisfaction and revealed “pay us what you owe us”, t-shirts during warm-ups. Angel Reese spoke in particular about the current WNBA salary and the disappointing proposals from the WNBA regarding the collective agreement (CBA), which expires in October.
“Of course, women’s basketball is skyrocket. And it is important for us to get what we want now, not only now, but also for the future,” Reese said. “It’s really nice to have veterinarians who may not play for another ten years, but they speak for us because they know how important it is right now.”
The players are currently negotiating a new CBA and according to Reese, the proposals have been less than justice. “It was an eye opener for me … to hear things, not things that I was happy to hear,” she said. “It was disrespectful … The suggestion we were sent back.” Other players have also been stated about the offer.
“We got a suggestion from the league, which honestly a bang on the face,” said Phoenix Mercury Forward and Team Union Rep Satou Sabally In a new interview. For more contexts, Reese worked out on the shockingly low payroll check during its rookie season.
“I just hope you know, WNBA doesn’t pay my bills at all. I don’t even think it pays one of my bills. Literally,” said Chicago Sky forward on Instagram Live last year, according to ESPN. She went on to confirm that the $ 73,439 rookie salary, which she earned in 2024, was exceeded by her monthly rental cost of $ 8,000 per month. Of course, Reese does not live only on its WNBA salary; She previously told ESPN that her WNBA controller was “a bonus” that came “on top of the other recommendations I make”, which includes brands such as Reebok, Good American, Tampax, Mielle and others. Reese last year at LSU, At3 Gave her a name, picture and equality assessment of $ 1.8 million.
Despite the fact that it does not constitute its entire income, considering how much attention Angel Reese has brought on both college basketball and WNBA for the past two years, her WNBA salary seems small -especially when comparing it to NBA Rookie wages. This again.
Another example: First total 2024 WNBA draft Pick Caitlin Clark earned $ 76,535 its first year, with the potential to earn $ 338,056 in the first four years. Paige BueckersThe first total 2025 WNBA draft for picking makes a little over it to $ 78,831 with the potential to earn $ 348,198 for four years. By comparison, the first total 2023 NBA draft to Victor Wembanyama, a four-year, $ 55.7 million rookie contract to play for San Antonio Spurs; He earned over $ 10 million during the year. Not only that, but the 30th election earned over $ 2 million during years one, almost 27 times more than Clark’s or Reeses salary.
This issue has added fuel to the ongoing debate on wage capital for women’s sports, and the changes that must be made by the court for WNBA, now and into the future.
Historically, WNBA has always had a wage difference. (Just like hockeyThe footballThe tennis – And the list continues.) This wage difference is due to various factors, with two of the most important player agreements without revenue sharing, and the audience viewers compared to the NBA.
Since the WNBA 27 years ago was started, each team has been funded by an NBA team, Forbes Reports. The player’s salaries ended for the 40 game season, and the player contracts were never linked to revenue sharing. Through design, this has kept the WNBA wages significantly lower than NBA wages. A result of the inequality: many WNBA players stop playing abroad to complement their compensation, a situation that made headlines when WNBA players Brittney Griner was arrested For ten months in Russia, where she played during the season, to make extra money. But with one USA-season US-based league as unmatchedPlaying abroad is no longer the only option.
Still, when the question of WNBA salaries is raised, the same tired rejection is. First, players will take home many times more than her actual salary, thanks to sponsorship and approval agreements. (But what about players who are not in the limelight to the extent that household names like Breanna Stewart and Angel Reese are?) Secondly, that WNBA games do not get the same attention, and therefore the same revenue dollars, as NBA games.
It is true that the NBA earns $ 2.6 billion annually in media rights, Per Forbes, while WNBA earns about $ 60 million, reports Front Office Sport. But these figures come from a contract that was negotiated in 2014, which expires at the end of the 2024-25 season. And just last year, WNBA secured historical media rights with Walt Disney Company, Amazon Prime Video and NBCuniversal. ESPN Reports that it is valued at $ 2.2 billion and should help give women’s basketball more air time, which has long been a problem for the league.
“Collaboration with Disney, Amazon and NBCU marks a monumental chapter in the WNBA history and clearly shows the significant increase in value and the historical interest in women’s basketball,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in an edition. “These agreements enable the league to continue to build a long-term and sustainable growth model for the future of women’s bumps and sports that will benefit WNBA players, teams and fans.”
It is obvious that people are happy about women’s bumps, and the new WNBA mediation agreements show that many people believe that this tension will translate to an increase in viewership and dollars – which will hopefully deceive into athletes.
It is also important to note that some WNBA players do not necessarily say they should earn equal pay for NBA players, dollars for dollars. “In the NBA, the percentages of revenue that are shared for the players – so, have Sales shirtapparently their TV contract, “Las Vegas Aces Star Kelsey plum said at “The residence podcast“Last year. This is not the case in WNBA, she noted, continues:” We do not ask to get paid what men get paid. We ask to receive the same percentage of revenue shared. ”
The WNBA player’s contract is now negotiations, with CBA that expires in October-after using an opt-out clause in October last year. “We see the growth in the league and as it stands, the current payroll system does not really pay us what we owe,” Union president and Seattle Storm Star forward Nneka ogwumike told the athlete. “We want to be able to get the fair proportion to move forward, especially when we see all investments that go in, and we want to be able to get our wages reflected in a structure that makes sense to us.”
During this debate, I have seen a while where women have been scattered for why there has been a historical lack of support for WNBA. This question is not about women who do not support women; Instead, it is about everyone realizing that women’s basketball is good, that it is fun to look at and that there should be a fair compensation in women’s sports. In the end, it is exciting to see the influence this moment can have the future of women’s basketball at all levels.
As the conversation develops and WNBPA continues its renegotiation, I hope that we stop making comparisons between two leagues that are not only 50 years apart from each other, but have also received very different levels of support since their respective beginning. Comparing WNBA with where the NBA is today is like comparing apples with oranges. And as the proverb says, “Comparison is the thief of joy”, and there is so much joy to look at where women’s basketball is today. It is time for these women to be paid what they owe – and then some.
– Further reporting by Mirel Zaman and Alexis Jones
Ralinda Watts is a writer, diversity expert, consultant, practitioners, speakers and proven thought leaders who work at the intersection of race, identity, culture and justice. She has contributed to many publications, such as Popsugar, CBS Media, Medium, Yahoo Lifestyle and Los Angeles Times.
Mirel Zaman is the Health and Fitness Director at PS. She has 15 years of experience working in health and health space, writing and editing articles on fitness, general health, mental health, relationships and sex, food and nutrition, astrology, spirituality, family and parenting, culture and news.
Alexis Jones (She/her) is senior health and fitness editor on ps. During his seven years of editorial experience, Alexis has developed passions and areas of expertise around mental health, women’s health and fitness, racial and ethnic differences in health care and chronic conditions. Before she came to PS, she was a senior editor at Health Magazine. Her second bylines are available at Women’s Health, Prevention, Marie Claire and more.