In Britney Griner’s first press conference since returning back to the U.S from her nearly 10-month Russian detainment, the WNBA player blatantly blamed the gender wealth gap for the ordeal.
“The whole reason a lot of us go over is the pay gap. A lot of us go over there to make an income to support our families, to support ourselves.”
Griner traveled to Russia in the summer of 2022 during the WNBA off-season to bridge the income gap many female players face when not on the regualr courts. This is unsurprising since, as previously reported by ESSENCE, WNBA players, even the league’s biggest stars have notoriously been overplayed and underpaid. The average salary for a player in the WNBA for the 2022 season was $102,751, among 151 athletes. The average salary for a player for the 2023 season, as of April 2, is $147,745, according to Queen Ballers Club.
Most recently, Chicago Sky star Angel Reese made waves when she candidly shared she was making more money as a college player securing NIL deals than most professional athletes, particularly those playing for the WNBA.
“The money I’m making is more than some of the people that are in the league that might be top players,” Reese told the hosts of sports podcast I Am Athlete in 2023. In a separate 2023 Teen Vogue interview, Reese also stated “WNBA players don’t get paid as much as they should. Being able to grow {NIL deal fortune} now, while I’m in college, and doing this now can help me when I get to the WNBA.”
This deep disparity isn’t lost on the Megan Perry and Lexie Brown. They are both basketball athletes, Brown, current, Perry, former. The two are still intimately aware of how dire the opportunity gaps can be for women ball players compared to their male counterparts in the NBA. To address this, they joined Athletes Unlimited, an organization made up of player-driven pro sports leagues aimed at financially empowering athletes by offering players the opportunity to continue playing in the US all year round.
“We’re positioned in the offseason of the WNBA to provide a platform that I think presents a couple of unique things—one, it is player-led and player-driven,” Perry tells ESSENCE, a former division I college player who was previously worked as an executive with the WNBA and NBA. She joined Athletes Unlimited as its new Director of Basketball working closely with the Player Executive Committee and Athletes Unlimited to oversee and execute all league operations both on and off the court.
“Secondly, our core governing body is run by our player executive committee. We have real power.”
Perry, works closely with Brown, a chair of the AU player executive committee, to help players line up business opportunities in the off-season.
Brown, a guard with the LA Sparks, says the organization is in a prime position to help WNBA players reach pay parity.
“There’s been an explosion in interest around the league, so I think there will be even more opportunities to line up for our players…and it’s about damn time,” Brown tells ESSENCE.
She adds: “These players don’t have to go overseas anymore to supplement an income or don’t have to go overseas anymore to stay in shape and get ready for the W season because we have Athletes Unlimited here for them. We promote individuality, growth. We love helping people with their content. We work with charities. We’re big in the community. It’s just an amazing experience that we have.”
