Caitlin Clark is the only player who matters in the WNBA according to an analyst, in a crushing snub for the likes of the Las Vegas Aces‘ A’ja Wilson, as he hits back at the Chicago Sky‘s Angel Reese.
The development comes after the 22-year-old claimed she would sit in meetings to make sure her and her colleagues get the salaries they believe is worth their talents and values, with Reese claiming her $73,439 rookie paycheck isn’t enough ot support her alone.
But for Dan Dakich, he is simply not interested in the ex-LSU Tigers‘ comments as he insists the Clark-led Indiana Fever are the only team watching in the WNBA, claiming their protests only work in favor of the NBA.
“So, you’re going to sit out. You lost 40, 50 million,” Dakich told OutKick. “You know who would clap for you all sitting out?
“The NBA. So, they don’t have to subsidize your dumb a**es to the tune of 40 to 50 million a year.
“Like, if I’m an NBA owner, I didn’t get rich by wasting a couple million on something that has no chance of making money. Honest to God. So, these two sit out. Sit out. See what happens.
“Now, I personally, I would miss watching the Fever. I would miss watching Caitlin Clark. But I wouldn’t miss anything else.”
Why are WNBA players pushing for more money?
There has been a slow, but steady, growth of criticism about WNBA salaries from the players over recent years and that now appears to be building up to a crescendo after Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart‘s successful Unrivaled league.
The 3×3 format allowed WNBA pros to remain in the United States to top up their earnings instead of jetting around the world, and proved to be successful in Miami with TNT collecting the TV rights showing the interest behind it.
The push comes off the back of an explosion in popularity for women’s basketball, in part thanks to Clark and Reese‘s rivalry. As per NBA Communications, the WNBA raked in 54 million individual viewers across ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ION, and NBA TV in 2024.
The average of 1.19 million marked a 170% increase as fans tuned in to watch Clark hit the court along with her other co-stars including the likes of Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu and Diana Taurasi.
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