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Barack Obama agrees with hoops fable Steph Curry connected the WNBA wage spread aft Angel Reese claimed she was incapable to spend mundane bills connected her league salary.
The wage quality returned to the headlines past play erstwhile players staged a protestation up of the WNBA All-Star game.
The sport's biggest stars, including Reese and Caitlin Clark, wore achromatic t-shirts with the connection 'pay america what you beryllium us'.
It came with the players and their union stuck successful negotiations implicit a caller wage agreement.
Several NBA stars, including LeBron James and Steph Curry, have already spoken retired astir the gap betwixt men's and women's hoops salaries.
And erstwhile US president Obama echoed those views successful an interrogation backmost successful 2016.
Obama quoted Minnesota Lynx subordinate Maya Moore, who had been the archetypal wide prime successful the 2011 WNBA draft.
He said: "We’re not ace affluent similar the guys … but money’s not everything erstwhile you’re talking astir dynasties and legacies, and inspiring young women and men, and opening people’s minds."
"Money is useful, too, and I americium for adjacent wage for adjacent work."
Obama and Curry (Image: MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images / Contributor)
How overmuch are WNBA players paid?
The WNBA's existent corporate bargaining statement was initially acceptable to tally for different 2 years, but successful October it was agreed that it would extremity earlier.
Under the agreement, players are entitled to 25 per cent of profits, but lone if the league meets its yearly gross targets.
According to IndyStar, 1 subordinate per squad tin gain up to $250,000 per year, with rookie contracts starting astatine $72,000.
But this is successful stark opposition to the NBA, wherever players receive 50 per cent of each gross generated careless of targets.
WNBA protestation (Image: Steph Chambers / Staff via Getty)
How overmuch are WNBA players paid compared to the NBA?
The wage disagreement betwixt the NBA and WNBA is enormous, with the antheral players pocketing overmuch much than their pistillate counterparts.
According to 1 survey by UCLA, the mean wage for WNBA players is conscionable beneath $130,000, compared to astir $8.65m for the NBA - with the highest-paid men's players including Curry earning much than $50m.
Reese, 23, revealed successful an Instagram unrecorded watercourse past twelvemonth that her $73,000 wage did not screen her $96,000-per-year rent.
On ESPN she said: "I conscionable anticipation y’all cognize the WNBA don’t wage my bills astatine all.
“I don’t adjacent deliberation that pays 1 of my bills, [the salary] isn't capable to wage my car note, I wouldn’t adjacent beryllium capable to eat, I wouldn’t beryllium capable to live.
"I'm surviving beyond my means!"
Reese added that it is lone done different endorsements and a spot successful the Unrivaled three-on-three league that she tin spend her rent.
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