A former NBA champion has ripped into the stars of the WNBA for demanding better pay as the likes of Caitlin Clark, Napheesa Collier, A’ja Wilson, and Angel Reese have voiced calls for higher salaries and a fairer revenue structure.
Byron Scott, who won three NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s, delivered what he believes to be a stark reality check on the feasibility of these demands.
Scott discussed the ongoing labor negotiations and the potential for a lockout if no agreement is reached before October 31 as women’s basketball could potentially grind to a halt.
But rather than back the women in their quest for compensation, the 64-year-old, who went on to coach the Lakers as well as LeBron James at the Cleveland Cavaliers, elected to call for perspective from the WNBA‘s talents.
“So, I think their demands has to be-I wouldn’t say squashed,” Scott said on the Fast Break show. “But they have to be where they’re more realistic.
“I mean, you know, you got a cash cow like you said, and what Caitlin Clark has been able to do in this WNBA. And then let’s again we tend to forget Angel Reese…
“I think the WNBA has made some big-time changes and big-time movement, but you’re still not there yet.
“So, you can’t go in and demand s**t that you know, when you ain’t making money, you know.”
Scott warns WNBA players may have to double down
Currently, WNBA players receive just 9.3% of the league’s revenue, compared with the NBA’s 49-51%, the NFL’s 48%, and the NHL’s 50%. Scott argued that while players’ efforts are justified, financial realities must temper salary demands.
Despite these limitations, the league has seen significant growth, largely driven by stars like Caitlin Clark as the 2024 WNBA season recorded 54 million unique viewers and the highest in-person attendance in 22 years.
Following on from that, the 23-year-old Indiana Fever star’s regular-season games alone averaged 1.2 million viewers, a 199% increase over games without her. That shows star power is greater than ever in women’s basketball.
Dana Hunsinger Benbow of IndyStar reported that overall TV ratings surged by 300%, with Fever games contributing 45% of the league’s total broadcast value, and these figures show her influence and commercial potential of the WNBA.
However, despite the WNBA’s growing profile, reports indicate the league lost roughly $10 million annually in 2018 and was projected to lose $40 million in 2024. With 60% of teams owned by NBA investors, financial returns remain a concern.
In light of that, Scott remains cautious about the pace of change as he added: “So, I think it’s going to be a hard long road. They might, they might have to, you know, be their bluff might be called.”
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