Gabby Williams leaves WNBA after criticizing Caitlin Clark’s wages

Seattle Storm superstar Gabby Williams has decided to leave the WNBA after criticizing the league’s salary discrepancies, according to reporting by Khalil Worrell for Enstarz.

Williams, who plays as a power forward, is set to head to Europe after signing a deal with Turkish team Fenerbahçe.

Despite claims by WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert that players could earn up to $700,000 a year in the league, Williams has rejected that notion, claiming, “That's actually not true at all. There's not one player who makes that.”

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Williams also claimed, that despite assurances of team marketing agreements and sponsorships, the WNBA has “fallen quite short” of matching their promises.

Williams, who plays for France internationally, added, “it's still not enough for us international players to want to stay here. And that's a choice of the players.”

As with all current discussions about the WNBA, the conversation eventually shifted to Caitlin Clark. Williams noted on social media that Clark is set to earn just $70,000 from her WNBA contract, with the rest of her income coming from sponsorships.

Per Front Office Sports, the highest paid player in the WNBA is Jackie Young for the Las Vegas Aces who will take home $252,450 in 2024, well short of the promised $700,000.

When there is criticism leveled at anything in the US, the response is often, “well, if you don’t like it leave.” As Williams wrote on social media in response to one fan, “to everyone saying "leave the country, if you’re unhappy in America", I did.”

According to work done by ResearchGate, average salaries in the Turkish league are higher than in the WNBA, with players expected to earn between $80,000-120,000 on average compared to $75,000 in the US.

Per Sports Illustrated, Williams made her debut for Fenerbahçe this week, only to be met by something she would never have experienced in the WNBA, firecrackers thrown onto the court by fans. Turkish sports fans are known for their fanaticism, but Williams will presumably hope this sort of incident isn’t common.

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