WNBA players wear 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' shirts at All Star Game—league expected to lose $50 MILLION

When the players for the WNBA All-Stars took the court on Saturday, each was wearing a black t-shirt to tell the league as well as WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert the message of "Pay Us What You Owe Us." This comes after the league had a $40 million loss last year and is expected to lose $50 million this year. 

The t-shirts highlight the ongoing back and forth between the players and the WNBA on payments and contracts. On Thursday, over 40 players, including the All-Star captains Napheesa Collier and Caitlin Clark met with WNBA executives face-to-face about the issue, according to OutKick.

"I would think I would say just that the players, obviously, are taking this really seriously," said Collier, who is also the vice president of the players' association in the league (WNBPA). "We had the most participation in league history. I think we had close to 40 players in our league meeting. I think it is just a really strong message that we're standing really firm on certain areas that we feel strongly need to improve."

Ahead of Saturday's All-Star game, Clark made similar statements, "That was the best part of it — being in the room, and there's over 40 other players in this league. I'm sure a lot more would have loved to be there if they were in Indianapolis. That's the most powerful thing — all the girls from across the league just being in that room together."

The players in the league have been frustrated with the process, Engelbert's comments, however, struck a more positive tone ahead of the All-Star game. "I want a lot of the same things the players want. That has not changed. But we also have to have a process where we go back and forth. And that’s where we are," she said.

Engelbert added that the Thursday meeting was "constructive" and that she is "really optimistic that we'll get something done that'll be transformational."

Players, however, have publicly expressed they are doubtful anything will come of the meeting, and have expressed disappointment. The WNBPA's official statement said that the WNBA's proposal was "unsustainable" and that it "falls short."

The pay raise demands from players come as the union said that after the 2024 season, they would opt out of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on October 31, 2025, as television revenues have been rising, per the Daily Mail. The rise in television viewership has been largely due to Caitlin Clark's performance in the league.

The players are wanting a cut of the proceeds, and reportedly get about 9.3 percent of the league's revenue, but the league has struggled to turn any profit and forecasts on the season remain unclear after the $40 million loss last season.

The salary range for the WNBA is a minimum of $66,000 to a maximum of $250,000. Clark will earn $78,000 in the 2025 season while Collier will bring home $184,000.