Brittney Griner’s ordeal in Russia has NOT stopped WNBA players from working overseas

Brittney Griner is back in the United States after an arduous 10-month saga in Russia. However, nearly half of her WNBA teammates chose to compete abroad this winter to supplement her income.

None are playing in Russia, for obvious reasons: Griner’s ordeal and the country’s ongoing war with Ukraine, but 67 of the league’s 144 players are in Australia, Turkey, Italy and about half a dozen other countries.

“Our players will do what is best for them in consultation with their families and their agents,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “And we’re certainly here to help you think about security risks and things like that. I think he’s seeing players take advantage of other opportunities, and we’ll certainly give them more opportunities to do things with the league in the offseason and keep the momentum around the big play they put out on the floor every year. .’

Brittney Griner pictured playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russian last year

Griner, an all-star with the Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was detained following her arrest at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport in February on drug possession charges as she returned to Russia to play for her team abroad. She was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia before the United States and Russia held a high-level prisoner exchange on Thursday that allowed her to return home.

Griner has not spoken publicly or announced her career plans since she was released. But if she wanted to return to the court, the WNBA, Mercury and USA Basketball would welcome her back.

Engelbert said he would give Griner and his family some space and time before any discussion about returning to the league, whose season begins May 19. South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, who coached Griner on the 2020 Olympic team, feels that playing again could be useful for the dominant center.

Playing abroad generates salaries for a handful of WNBA players in excess of $1 million. It’s a lucrative alternative to the marketing deals the WNBA offers players to stay in the US during the offseason and promote the league; Top players like Griner can now earn $700,000 when factoring in all the possible sources of income the WNBA has to offer.

But there’s no denying that the disparity in pay between professional men’s basketball players and professional women’s basketball players, including Griner, remains vast. The maximum salaries for WNBA players are much less than the minimum salary of about $953,000 for NBA players (excluding those on two-way contracts) for several reasons, primarily the difference in profit margins and player entitlements. media.

Breanna Stewart (right, playing for Ekaterinburg in 2021), who plays for the Seattle Storm, chose to play in Turkey because it was closer to her wife’s family in Spain. “You want to have a better lifestyle, a better experience off the pitch and still appreciate other countries,” she told The Associated Press during the FIBA ​​World Cup in September.

NBA revenue topped $10 billion for the first time last season, and the league has a nine-year, $24 billion television contract. The next one, due to start around 2025, is expected to be worth significantly more. The WNBA does not publicly release its revenue figures.

WNBA players have never asked to do the same thing as their NBA counterparts, they acknowledge that it is impossible, but they have asked for an equal share of the revenue.

So, WNBA players look outside the US, and Turkey has become the top destination for this winter with almost two dozen of them playing there. The best players can earn a few hundred thousand dollars playing in Turkey, much less than they could in Russia.

Breanna Stewart, who plays for the Seattle Storm, chose to play in Turkey because it was closer to her wife’s family in Spain.

“You want to have a better lifestyle, a better experience off the pitch and still appreciate other countries,” he told The Associated Press during the FIBA ​​World Cup in September.

Last offseason, 73 WNBA players went abroad. Five years ago, there were about 90 players. The drop points to growing options in the US, especially with merchandising deals, which Englebert says have tripled this year.

“Owners really stepped up on the player compensation side of this collective bargaining cycle,” Engelbert said at the WNBA Finals, “and I think the kind of quid pro quo for that was prioritizing, getting in time for our season.” ‘

Players can also participate in the Athletes Unlimited league, which began last year in the US. The five-week season has 13 WNBA players signed for this year, up from two during the league’s inaugural year.