IT’S WHAT WE DESERVE CAPPIE PONDEXTER SPEAKS ON WNBA PAY GAP

by Martin Soaries

Many streams of dialogue have picked up steam around the WNBA, including from seventime All-Star and two-time champion, Cappie Pondexter. For those who need an introduction, Cappie Pondexter is a recently retired American professional basketball player who last played as a member of the Indiana Fever in the Women’s National Basketball Association.

The dialogue mainly stems from the drastic difference in wage gaps between WNBA players and their NBA counterparts. The average NBA player salary for the 2019-2020 season is around $7.7 million, according to Basketball Reference. The average salary of a WNBA player, meanwhile, is around $79,000. Pondexter believes that players would definitely take part in a potential strike if it was backed by other WNBA stars like Diana Taurasi and Elena Delle Donne.

I had a conversation with Pondexter about the difference between women’s basketball fandom in the states and abroad. “Honestly they just care about women’s basketball a lot more than they do here in the states,” she said. “That’s just the bottom line. It’s a part of the culture, they enjoy supporting the women that love to play sport and that love sport in general. I think that alone is the biggest difference, they love to support it. They don’t mind giving up a dollar for their team to be successful in their country. It’s what should be here. It’s what we deserve.”

When former WNBA star and current assistant coach to the San Antonio Spurs, Becky Hammond, was being considered as the head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, Pondexter commented about basketball not being about gender. They always allude to us staying in the kitchen… we don’t need to play sports but they don’t understand that sports brings confidence. It helps with fitness, with health, [and women’s empowerment.] They don’t understand the impact that sports has in that aspect. It’s not just about the money. But it changes so much about the woman in general.

Liz Cambage, the Australian who lit up the WNBA for over 22 points per game in her rookie season, has also spoken out about the issue and why it caused her to not return next season. “I’ve said this many times: [The WNBA] doesn’t pay my bills. We make more money overseas. I’m ready to have next summer off and focus on getting a European contract where 10 seasons here are worth the pay.”

“It sucks because I love to be here, I love to put the game out there, I love what comes with playing here. But at the end of the day, for my longevity, I worry about my body, my mind, and my soul. I really don’t get paid enough to be beaten up every game. I’m not a WWE wrestler and that’s how it feels sometimes out on the court.”

Hopefully the base salary can continue to grow and more opportunities can open up for players to receive not only more exposure but more profit.

Submitted via basketballsocietyonline.com