Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark speak out on a potential WNBA lockout

In any sport, to improve, the game's biggest stars have to speak out and express their concern over a specific problem or barrier.

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark have been the two WNBA players to carry the league to the next level this season, and the pair have made their feelings clear on an extremely important issue.

The WNBA Players Association announced that it is opting out of its current collective bargaining agreement, which was set to expire in 2027 but will now expire in October 2025.

The WNBA experienced explosive growth during the 2024 season, with TV ratings, sponsors, and attendance figures soaring. USA Today reports that the new media rights deal is worth $200 million (£153m/€184m), more than three times the current package.

However, players' salaries and shares in the league's revenue lag far behind the NBA. Currently, WNBA players receive 10% of the league's revenue, compared with NBA players who receive 50%.

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A league statement said: "With the historic 2024 WNBA season now in the books, we look forward to working together with the players and the WNBPA on a new CBA that is fair for all and lays the foundation for growth and success for years to come."

The WNBA players' union announced its decision to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement, hot on the heels of Angel Reese talking about her financial struggles from her WNBA salary.

The WNBA's minimum salary is $64,154 (£49k/€59k), while the supermax is $241,984 (£186k/€223k). The current highest-paid player in the WNBA is Las Vegas Aces star Jackie Young, who earned over $250,000 (£192k/€231k) this season.

Angel Reese is one of the faces of the WNBA and one of the main reasons the league has grown so exponentially. The Chicago Sky's All-Star rookie revealed that her $73,439 (£57k/€67k) salary isn't near enough to help make ends meet.

According to CNBC, Reese said: "I just hope y'all know the WNBA doesn't pay my bills at all," she said during a recent Instagram live. " I don't even think that pays one of my bills."

Reese said her monthly rent payment is $8,000 (£6.1k/€7.3k), meaning she pays $96,000 (£74k/€89k) yearly. She joked, "I'm living beyond my means." She added that her salary wasn't enough to "pay my car note" and laughed that, based on her WNBA earnings, she "wouldn't be able to eat" and "wouldn't be able to live."

Reese is one of the most marketable players in the league and earns most of her money from endorsement deals. However, this won't be the same for many other players.

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According to the Express, the WNBPA chose to withdraw from the CBA, with players seeking: "A business model that reflects their true value, encompassing higher salaries, enhanced professional working conditions, expanded health benefits, and crucial investments needed for long-term growth."

The union chose to pull out of the current CBA before the November 1st deadline in an attempt to reach a new agreement within the next 12 months. However, if the two sides can't agree, the WNBA could face a lockout following next season.

A potential lockout could destroy the momentum the WNBA has built, and superstar Caitlin Clark stressed the importance of maintaining crowds at live games.

Clark said: "The amount of people that have shown up in the stadiums, from the viewership numbers to people really wanting to wear a WNBA player's jersey or buy their merch, whatever it is, or have their shoe - just how it evolved in such a short period."

"It shows everyone there are real opportunities here, and there has been opportunity here, so I think that's what is so exciting."

"The more we can continue to expand that, the more we can continue to have games on national television and get people in seats because when they show up at a stadium, they're always coming back - that's usually how it works. They fall in love with a team or player, or maybe they go for one player then like another."

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