Nick Wright Rips ‘Such Utter Losers’ for Bashing WNBA Players Wanting More Money

WNBA players are looking to get significant raises in the new CBA.
WNBA players are looking to get significant raises in the new CBA. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The WNBA All-Star Game last weekend in Indianapolis was a celebration for the best players in the game over the first half of the season. And it also became an important moment for the players moving forward in the league for years to come as both teams made a statement about what they want in the ongoing CBA negotiations with the WNBA.

Players wore "Pay us what you owe us" shirts during pregame warmups, making it clear they are looking for higher salaries and a bigger cut of league revenue. That makes sense since the league signed a massive new TV deal last month that is worth over $2 billion and are in the process of adding expansion teams over the next few years. Business is booming and the players want to be paid more for their work.

While many people on social media bashed the players for wanting the money they deserve, some big-name media members have come to the defense of players. On Sunday, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy called the critics "morons" and on Tuesday Fox Sports' Nick Wright called them "such utter losers."

"Nobody serious can actually think that Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers making $70-something grand a year is a proper payment for services rendered," he said on his podcast, What's Wright? With Nick Wright. "Is there any other capitalist endeavors—so I’m not talking about social workers, I’m not talking about kindergarten teachers, I’m not talking about firemen—capitalistic endeavor where someone of Caitlin Clark’s quality would make less than $80,000 a year? And the answer is no. It is just outrageous the amount of people that were like, ‘Pipe down, ladies. Be happy.’ So many losers are just boot-licking management sellouts."

Clark currently gets paid a little over $78,000 a year by the Indiana Fever, Angel Reese is getting just under $75,000 from the Chicago Sky, and Paige Bueckers is getting just under $79,000 from the Dallas Wings.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, and whether a work stoppage will be necessary for the players to get what they want.


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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.