A fresh spotlight has been cast on the pay gap between the NBA and WNBA after a comparison between Steph Curry’s salary and the entire Golden State Valkyries team went viral. The disparity became a talking point once again during the WNBA All-Star Game, where players donned black shirts with bold white lettering that read: “Pay us what you owe us.”
The demonstration reflected ongoing tensions in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. Under the current arrangement, WNBA players are entitled to 25% of league profits but only if certain revenue targets are reached. Meanwhile, NBA players receive 50% of all revenue with no such conditions.
As reported by IndyStar
“the top salary for a WNBA player is around $250,000 per season, with rookies starting at $72,000. By contrast, NBA rookies begin at over $1.2 million.
Steph Curry, one of the NBA’s most successful and highest-paid players, currently earns close to $60 million annually. He has spent his entire professional career with the Golden State Warriors, a team owned by Joe Lacob and Peter Guber who also own the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA. Despite sharing ownership, the financial difference is stark: the Valkyries’ entire team earns just $1 million combined.
Other contrasts underline the gap further. NBA teams carry 15 full-time players and three additional two-way players from the G League. In the WNBA, rosters are capped at 12, and in some cases, teams operate with as few as eight players due to budget constraints.
The growing frustration among WNBA athletes reflects broader concerns about equity and recognition in professional sports, especially as the league pushes for better compensation and resources.
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