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Should These Players Get a Raise?

Women in the WNBA make a fraction of what men in the NBA make. Could that soon change?

December 2025/January 2026

by Alex Lim-Chua Wee

Justin Casterline/Getty Images

The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game was about to start in Indianapolis, Indiana. The crowd was buzzing with excitement. Almost 17,000 fans packed the sold-out arena. Millions more tuned in from home.

The women’s basketball league was having one of its best seasons yet. Ticket sales were up compared with last season’s. Merchandise sales had hit record-breaking numbers too.

But when the players walked onto the court, something looked different. Each athlete was wearing a black T-shirt. On the front was a message in big white letters: “Pay Us What You Owe Us.”

Why? These women are star players—the best of the best. And they wanted to bring attention to the pay gap in pro basketball.

The NBA is the men’s pro basketball league in North America. Some of its top players have a salary of more than $50 million. In the WNBA, top players make no more than $250,000.

Is that fair?

The game was about to start. It was the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game. It was in Indianapolis, Indiana. The crowd was excited. Almost 17,000 fans were in the sold-out arena. Millions more watched from home.

The women’s basketball league was having a great season. Ticket sales were up. Merchandise sales were breaking records.

The players walked onto the court. But they weren’t in their jerseys. They were wearing black T-shirts. The front side said, “Pay Us What You Owe Us.”

Why? Pro basketball has a pay gap. These women wanted to bring attention to it.

The men’s pro basketball league in North America is the NBA. Top NBA players can earn a salary of more than $50 million. In the WNBA, the top pay is $250,000.

Is that fair?

The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game was about to start in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the crowd was buzzing with excitement. Almost 17,000 fans had packed into the sold-out arena, while millions more had tuned in from home.

The women’s basketball league was having one of its best seasons yet. Ticket sales were up compared with last season’s, and merchandise sales had hit record-breaking numbers too.

But when the players walked onto the court, something looked different. Each athlete was wearing a black T-shirt with a message on the front in big white letters: “Pay Us What You Owe Us.”

Why? These women are star players—the best of the best. And they wanted to bring attention to the pay gap in pro basketball.

The NBA is the men’s pro basketball league in North America. Some of its top players have a salary of more than $50 million—but in the WNBA, top players make no more than $250,000.

Is that fair?

PAUSE AND THINK: What happened at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game?

An Unequal History

Basketball was invented in 1891. Less than a year later, women began playing. But their version of the game was different.

Women had to play in long dresses. They couldn’t steal the ball from other players. These rules were meant to keep the game “ladylike.”

It wasn’t until the 1970s that women’s basketball truly took off. The rules changed to make it more like the men’s game. Many colleges added women’s teams. In 1976, women’s basketball became an Olympic sport.

Two decades later, the WNBA was created. It has grown over the years, from 8 to 13 teams. Today it’s the longest-running women’s pro sports league in North America.

Basketball was invented in 1891. Soon women began playing. But their game was different.

Women played in long dresses. They couldn’t steal the ball from other players. These rules kept the game “ladylike.”

In the 1970s, women’s basketball became more popular. The rules changed. It became more like the men’s game. Many colleges added women’s teams. In 1976, women’s basketball became an Olympic sport.

Two decades later, the WNBA was created. It has since grown from 8 to 13 teams. Today it’s the longest-running women’s pro sports league in North America.

Basketball was invented in 1891. Women began playing less than a year later, but their version of the game was different.

Women had to play in long dresses, and they couldn’t steal the ball from other players. These rules were meant to keep the game “ladylike.”

It wasn’t until the 1970s that women’s basketball truly took off. The rules changed to make it more like the men’s game, and many colleges added women’s teams. In 1976, women’s basketball became an Olympic sport.

Two decades later, the WNBA was created. It has grown over the years, from 8 to 13 teams, and today it’s the longest-running women’s pro sports league in North America.

PAUSE AND THINK: How did women’s basketball change in the 1970s?

Big Business

You may think of pro sports as just entertainment. But both the NBA and WNBA are big businesses too. They make money from selling tickets and merchandise. They also get paid for allowing their games to be televised.

That money pays for training and travel costs. It also pays the players. But not everyone is paid equally. On average, NBA players receive about 50 percent of their league’s revenue. Meanwhile, WNBA players receive only 10 percent of the WNBA’s revenue.

Why is that? Some people point to how the leagues are different. The WNBA has fewer teams and a much shorter season. (It plays 44 games; the NBA plays 82.) The WNBA has also never made a profit. But that could soon change. Since its 2024 season, the WNBA has been on the rise. New stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese had exciting first seasons. Their success has brought in thousands of new fans.

As a result, the WNBA recently signed a major TV deal. Networks agreed to pay the WNBA $2.2 billion for the right to air the league’s games over 11 years. That’s about six times as much as its old TV contract. (But it’s still nowhere near the NBA’s $76 billion deal.)

Pro sports are entertaining. But the NBA and WNBA are businesses too. They make money from selling tickets and merchandise. Networks pay them to televise their games.

That money pays for training and travel. It also pays the players. About 50 percent of the NBA’s revenue goes to the players. But only about 10 percent of the WNBA’s revenue goes to the players.

Why is that? Some people say it’s that the leagues are different. The WNBA has fewer teams. It has a shorter season. (It plays 44 games; the NBA plays 82.) Plus, the WNBA has never made a profit. But that could soon change. Since its 2024 season, the WNBA has been on the rise. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are new stars. They had exciting first seasons. Their success has brought in thousands of new fans.

As a result, the WNBA recently made a deal. Networks agreed to pay the league $2.2 billion. This will allow them to air its games over 11 years. That’s much more money than the WNBA’s old TV contract. (But it’s nowhere near the NBA’s $76 billion deal.)

You may think of pro sports as just entertainment, but both the NBA and the WNBA are big businesses too. They make money from selling tickets and merchandise, and they also get paid for allowing their games to be televised.

That money pays for training and travel costs and also pays the players’ salaries. But not everyone is paid equally. On average, NBA players receive about 50 percent of their league’s revenue. Meanwhile, WNBA players receive only 10 percent of the WNBA’s revenue.

Why is that? Some people point to the differences between the leagues. The WNBA has fewer teams and a much shorter season. (It plays 44 games; the NBA plays 82.) The WNBA has also never made a profit. But that could soon change. Since its 2024 season, the WNBA has been on the rise. New stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese had exciting first seasons, and their success has brought in thousands of new fans.

As a result, the WNBA recently signed a major TV deal, with networks agreeing to pay the league $2.2 billion for the right to air its games over 11 years. That’s about six times as much as its old TV contract but far from the NBA’s $76 billion deal.

PAUSE AND THINK: How are the NBA and the WNBA different?

The Fight for Equal Pay in Sports

A. 1973
Billie Jean King
Women say they’ll boycott the U.S. Open unless they get equal pay. It becomes the first big tennis tournament to give equal award money to men and women.

B. 2016
Bianca Valenti
Six female surfers join together to demand equal pay. Three years later, the World Surf League agrees to award all surfers equal prize money.

C. 2022
The USWNT
The U.S. women’s national soccer team wins equal pay. They had taken the U.S. Soccer Federation to court over the issue.

A. 1973
Billie Jean King
Women say they’ll boycott the U.S. Open unless they get equal pay. It becomes the first big tennis tournament to give equal award money to men and women.

B. 2016
Bianca Valenti
Six female surfers join together to demand equal pay. Three years later, the World Surf League agrees to award all surfers equal prize money.

C. 2022
The USWNT
The U.S. women’s national soccer team wins equal pay. They had taken the U.S. Soccer Federation to court over the issue.

A. 1973
Billie Jean King
Women say they’ll boycott the U.S. Open unless they get equal pay. It becomes the first big tennis tournament to give equal award money to men and women.

B. 2016
Bianca Valenti
Six female surfers join together to demand equal pay. Three years later, the World Surf League agrees to award all surfers equal prize money.

C. 2022
The USWNT
The U.S. women’s national soccer team wins equal pay. They had taken the U.S. Soccer Federation to court over the issue.

“A Piece of the Pie”

Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Napheesa Collier

So what does a new WNBA player make? Clark’s salary is about $78,000 a year. Reese’s is about $75,000. To make extra cash, some WNBA players endorse sneaker or sports drink brands. Others coach or play basketball overseas in the offseason.

That’s why the All-Stars decided to speak up. The players’ T-shirts quickly went viral. People started talking about the pay gap on social media. By the end of the game, the crowd was chanting, “Pay them! Pay them!”

Napheesa Collier won the game’s MVP award. She says that WNBA players don’t expect to be paid as much as NBA players. They just want to feel valued. For them, that means making the same share as men of their league’s revenue.

“There is no league without the players,” she says. “We feel we are owed a piece of the pie that we helped create.”

So what does a new WNBA player make? Clark’s salary is about $78,000 a year. Reese’s is about $75,000. For extra cash, some WNBA players endorse sneaker or sports drink brands. Others coach or play basketball overseas in the offseason.

That’s why the All-Stars spoke up. Their T-shirts went viral. People talked about the pay gap on social media. By the end of the game, the crowd was chanting, “Pay them! Pay them!”

Napheesa Collier won the game’s MVP award. She says WNBA players don’t expect to be paid as much as NBA players. They just want to feel valued. For them, that means making the same share as men of their league’s revenue.

“There is no league without the players,” she says. “We feel we are owed a piece of the pie that we helped create.”

So what does a new WNBA player make? Clark’s salary is about $78,000 a year, and Reese’s is about $75,000. To make extra cash, some WNBA players endorse sneaker or sports drink brands, while others coach or play basketball overseas in the offseason.

Napheesa Collier, who won the game’s MVP award, says WNBA players don’t expect to be paid as much as NBA players. They just want to feel valued. For them, that means making the same share as men of their league’s revenue.

“There is no league without the players,” she says. “We feel we are owed a piece of the pie that we helped create.”