Shaq Advocates for WNBA Players to Get Paid Like NBA Players

The Hall of Fame big man was sitting courtside watching Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

Aug 30, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Former NBA player Shaquille O'Neal and Chicago Bulls 2024 NBA draft pick Matas Buzelis stand on the sidelines before a basketball game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

On Friday night, the WNBA world was treated to another electrifying Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese contest. Clark put up a dominant night and led her team to a comfortable 100-81 win, while Reese salvaged an otherwise tough night by putting up her 23rd double-double to break Tina Charles's all-time record for double-doubles in one season by a rookie. It wasn't the competitive contest the audience is used to seeing from Clark and Reese-led teams, but each matchup between the pair only serves to grow their intertwined basketball journeys.

In attendance for Friday's game in Chicago was none other than Shaquille O'Neal. The NBA Hall of Fame big man was selected for a brief courtside interview at one point during the Fever's win. He took that time to advocate for WNBA players to receive contracts on the same level as NBA players in the wake of the W's surge in popularity this season.

"I love it," Shaq said when asked what it was like to experience the WNBA crowd in-person. "Especially for women. They've always played great, they've always played hard, I'm glad they're getting their exposure. They definitely deserve it. Now we just got to get them similar contracts to what some of those NBA guys are making."

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Sharp-eyed observers may note that Shaq is sitting alongside Matas Buzelis, a 2024 first-round pick of the Chicago Bulls. Quite the tandem.

The WNBA made a big stride towards getting its players paid better with the new media rights deal, which is worth about four times as much annually as the previous deal. More money pouring into the league means more money for the owners, which means more money to be doled out to the players.

Of course, it'll be a while yet before W players are looking at NBA-level contracts. The highest-paid player in the NBA this upcoming season will be Step Curry, bringing home about $55 million for the season. The highest-paid WNBA player ever is Las Vegas Aces star Jackie Young, who will bring home roughtly $252,000 this season.

So the gap is still quite significant and it'll be many years until it gets on even relatively equal footing. But with advocates like Shaq publicly speaking out in support of closing the gap, and with the sport gaining more fans by the day, it feels more possible than ever before.