WNBA star Angel Reese featured in the All-Star game amid protests during the warm-ups.
WNBA players including Angel Reese wore t-shirts in protest during the league’s All-Star festivities this weekend.
Players and the player’s union are locked in negotiations over salaries and used the All-Star game to make their position perfectly clear. Stars like Napheesa Collier, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum and Kelsey Mitchell were in action as Team Collier beat Team Clark in Indianapolis on Saturday, showcasing the top talent in the WNBA.
However the backdrop to the showpiece game were the ongoing talks over fair pay for WNBA players, with Collier saying before the game: “This is where the money’s at, so both sides are going to fight really hard for it. So we just have to make them know that we’re not backing down on this point.”
The dispute centres around the current WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement which entitles players to 25 per cent of profits on the condition of the league meeting its revenue targets each year. According to IndyStar, one player per team can earn up to $250,000 per year, with rookie contracts starting at $72,000. And the agreement does not compare well to the NBA, where players receive 50 per cent of all revenue generated regardless of targets.
To make their point, the All-Star players all wore black t-shirts during their warm-ups reading: “Pay Us What You Owe Us”, generating plenty of media attention.
And the extent of the issue for players was highlighted by Reese, 23, who told an Instagram live stream last year that her $73,000 salary at the time hardly covered her $8,000 monthly rent which amounts to $96,000 per year.
(via ESPN): “I just hope y’all know the WNBA don’t pay my bills at all.
“I don’t even think that pays one of my bills, [the salary] isn’t enough to pay my car note, I wouldn’t even be able to eat, I wouldn’t be able to live,” she added. “I’m living beyond my means!”
With other endorsements and a place in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league earns Reese six figures, she said in May 2024, making clear she was thankful for her income. “Being able to play for what, four to five months, and get $75,000 on top of the other endorsements that I’m doing, I think it’s a plus for me,” she explained. “Being able to make six figures within three months [in Unrivaled], being able to be housed in Miami, just being able to get better …. I think it’s amazing.”