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The saga for better pay for the players in the WNBA seems like a never-ending conversation. For years, the league’s athletes have argued for raises.
This year, as a new collective bargaining agreement stands on the horizon, that conversation has turned somewhat bitter. Still, no resolution has come for the deal so far, and the players are getting testy. However, did Angel Reese actually threaten to sit out the WNBA season if she doesn’t get an NBA-level paycheck?
Has Angel Reese Threatened to Sit Out WNBA Games Over Tense CBA Negotiations?
Since the last agreement in 2020, the WNBA has gone through a radical shift. Becoming increasingly popular by the day, the arrival of bona fide superstars like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, who had everyone’s attention, made the league explode overnight.
With that change, the demand for better pay has come seemingly hand in hand. But the discourse took an ugly turn when there wasn’t enough communication between the two sides.
It grew to a fever pitch when one of the most respected players in the league and WNBPA vice president, Napheesa Collier, had scathing remarks about commissioner Cathy Engelbert, outright calling her the worst leader in sports.
Since then, the hope was that the two sides could come to an agreement with the new CBA. With players earning nearly 9% of the revenue, compared to nearly 50% for the NBA, the contrast between the two leagues was stark.
However, the WNBA, led by Engelbert, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver were unwilling to waver on a revenue-sharing model, especially with ownership groups in the WNBA taking a share. Instead, all they could promise was better absolute numbers.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t willing to fly with the athletes sacrificing their bodies. So far, the whispers of a lockout or strike had remained unvoiced. Did Reese change that?
Recently, a quote was attributed to the Chicago Sky superstar and went viral, making it seem like she threatened WNBA owners by saying, “I promise you, we aren’t going to play unless we get NBA money.” However, this quote was fake, as many fans pointed out. This isn’t the first time that fake quotes attributed to Reese have gone viral.
However, she has made similar threats on her podcast earlier this year: “We deserve more… I need to be in the [players’ union] meetings because I’m hearing that if ya’ll don’t give us what we want, we sitting out.”
She has been outspoken about how the WNBA isn’t paying its players enough, but she hasn’t specifically stated that the players want “NBA money,” as the fake quote said.
Earlier this month, in response to a fan asking if she wants to be a WNBA player or a model, she responded: “well no i’ll never pick because my dream job doesn’t pay me enough while my side job pays me 7 figures. anywayyy…..go check out my new episode.”
In her rookie WNBA season, Reese made $73,439, which increased to $74,909 during her sophomore season with the Sky.
The deadline for the league and the players’ association to finalize a deal was October 31. But the two sides have issued a 30-day extension after failing to come to an agreement. While neither side is willing to accept blame, the fact of the matter remains that the issue is still unresolved.
Just as the league is starting to surge in popularity, a lockout would be a major setback for the players and fans alike. It will be worth monitoring how the situation plays out in the coming weeks and months.
