The WNBA’s popularity is soaring, but behind the scenes, a storm is brewing. With the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) up for renegotiation, players are making their voices heard, and two of the league’s biggest names — Angel Reese and DiJonai Carrington — have sent a strong message to the WNBA.
Reese, the Chicago Sky star, made a bold statement during her podcast, “Unapologetically Angel,” where she and Carrington spoke about the future of WNBA salaries. With the league signing a massive new TV deal and ratings skyrocketing by 170% this season, players believe it’s time they get a bigger piece of the pie.
Angel Reese and DiJonai Carrington Warn of a Possible Strike
The WNBA has seen incredible growth in recent years, with TV ratings hitting all-time highs, especially after the arrival of stars like Caitlin Clark and Reese.
The league recently signed an 11-year, $2.2 billion TV deal with Disney, Amazon Prime, and NBC, set to begin in 2026. But despite all this success, WNBA salaries remain far lower than those of their male counterparts.
That’s why Reese and Carrington are pushing back. While speaking on “Unapologetically Angel,” Reese made it clear that players won’t settle for less.
“We deserve more… I need to be in the [players’ union] meetings because I’m hearing that if [the league] doesn’t give us what we want, we’re sitting out,” Reese said.
“If y’all don’t give us what we want… we sitting out.”
– Angel Reese on the CBA
(🎥 @angelreeseshow / https://t.co/59swVuMy6t) pic.twitter.com/JoH4U0TMoE
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 8, 2025
Carrington, the WNBA’s 2024 Most Improved Player, agreed with Reese.
They also pointed out how the incoming 2026 rookies could benefit the most if salaries are restructured. Reese, who earned $73,439 in her rookie season, is now set to make $74,909 in her second year with the Sky under her four-year, $324,383 contract. She pointed out that next year’s rookies will potentially make more than her and said that “hurts.”
Will WNBA Players Actually Strike?
Last year, WNBA players opted out of their current CBA, which was originally set to expire in 2027. The current terms will remain in place through the 2025 season, but after that, everything is up for negotiation.
Reese has been outspoken about the struggles of WNBA salaries before. She once went viral for revealing that her paycheck didn’t even cover her rent.
“Hating pays my bills, baby. I just hope you know the WNBA doesn’t pay my bills at all. I don’t even think that pays one of my bills,” Reese said on Instagram.
“Literally, I’m trying to think of my rent for where I stay at. I’m gonna do the math real quick. I don’t even know my salary. Yo, I’m living beyond my means! No, my rent is more than that. It’s $8,000. I’m living beyond my means.”
Thankfully, the 2024 WNBA All-Star has major endorsement deals with Reebok, Hershey’s, and Beats by Dre. She’s also participating in the new 3-on-3 Unrivaled league, which pays all 36 of its players six-figure salaries.
Reese and Clark have played a huge role in the WNBA’s surging popularity and new TV deal, yet they aren’t seeing much of the money they are bringing in.
Despite Clark’s incredible rookie season, her WNBA salary paints a stark picture of the current WNBA pay structure. As a rookie, she signed a four-year contract worth approximately $338,056. Here’s how that breaks down:
- 2024: $76,535
- 2025: $78,066
- 2026: $86,873
- 2027: $97,582 (with a team option for the final year)
To put WNBA contracts in perspective, Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, signed a four-year, $57 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks, with an average salary of $14.25 million. Despite being drafted in the exact same position as Clark, Risacher is making far more, and a lot of casual fans probably don’t even know who he is.
In fact, an NBA rookie on a minimum deal for the 2024-25 season earns well over $1 million, meaning that even a minimum NBA contract would match Clark’s annual WNBA salary in just six games.
Recently, Clark’s agent said that the WNBA will never be able to pay the Indiana Fever star her actual worth given what she’s bringing to the league in terms of interest and visibility.
“Will Caitlin Clark ever be paid by the WNBA what she’s really worth to that league? I don’t think that’s possible,” Erin Kane told ESPN.
The WNBA’s financial landscape is shifting rapidly, with fresh talent pushing its popularity higher than ever. These players know the time is right to push for higher pay. Now, the ball is in the WNBA’s court. Will the league listen, or are we heading toward a player strike?