{"id":271837,"date":"2025-11-09T10:03:26","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T10:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/271837\/"},"modified":"2025-11-09T10:03:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T10:03:26","slug":"wnba-crisis-grows-as-stars-including-caitlin-clark-offered-stunning-2m-salaries-from-rival-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/271837\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA crisis grows as stars including Caitlin Clark offered stunning $2M salaries from rival league"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Another new women&#8217;s basketball league has emerged, and it could shake up the WNBA. <\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/topic\/wnba\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">WNBA<\/a> is facing a fresh challenge after a new global basketball league, named Project B, announced its intentions to host five-on-five basketball tournaments across Asia, Europe and Latin America beginning in November 2026. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"he Indiana Fever looks on before the game against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on August 03, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. \" height=\"640\" width=\"960\" data-credit=\"Getty\" data-img=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/user-expressly-acknowledges-agrees-downloading-1016024919.jpg\" data-caption=\"Caitlin Clark is one of many WNBA stars who are being offered contracts\"   loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/user-expressly-acknowledges-agrees-downloading-1016024919.jpg\" role=\"img\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>5<\/p>\n<p>Caitlin Clark is one of many WNBA stars who are being offered contractsCredit: Getty<\/p>\n<p>Project B will become the fourth major player in women&#8217;s basketball, joining the WNBA, EuroLeague and Unrivaled. <\/p>\n<p>This new league is founded by ex-Facebook executive Grady Burnett and Skype cofounder Geoff Prentice.<\/p>\n<p>And their pair have already announced that it has signed Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike as their first player.<\/p>\n<p>The league plans to begin the tournament with six teams of 11 players.<\/p>\n<p>The plan to play games across several continents and countries is based on mimicking other sports like auto racing, golf and tennis.<\/p>\n<p>According to reports, several WNBA players have already agreed deals to play in the league, and there is an aim to attract some of its biggest stars, with the likes of <a aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/who\/angel-reese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">Angel Reese<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/who\/caitlin-clark\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Caitlin Clark<\/a> being touted. <\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Front Office Sports has reported that <a href=\"https:\/\/frontofficesports.com\/wnba-project-b-salaries-unrivaled-cba\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">players are being offered <\/a>seven-figure salaries, which start at $2 million annually.<\/p>\n<p>With some multi-year deals reaching eight figures and players are being offered equity in the league.<\/p>\n<p>Is this a threat to the WNBA?<\/p>\n<p>Firstly, the league does not cross over with the WNBA calendar so players could compete in both competitions if they wish.<\/p>\n<p>However, that is not to say it cannot become an indirect threat.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"eaks at the Long Island Association's annual fall luncheon on Oct. 29, 2025, in Woodbury, New York. \" height=\"680\" width=\"960\" data-credit=\"GETTY\" data-img=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2244191627.jpg\" data-caption=\"It doesn't seem likely that Caitlin Clark will play in any off-season league ahead of the 2026 WNBA season\"   loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2244191627.jpg\" role=\"img\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>5<\/p>\n<p>It doesn&#8217;t seem likely that Caitlin Clark will play in any off-season league ahead of the 2026 WNBA seasonCredit: GETTY<a href=\"#\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A picture of Caitlin Clark at a Indiana Fever game\" height=\"640\" width=\"960\" data-credit=\"GETTY\" data-img=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2236421641.jpg\" data-caption=\"Caitlin Clark has missed most of the WNBA campaign due to injury this season\"   loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2236421641.jpg\" role=\"img\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>5<\/p>\n<p>Caitlin Clark has missed most of the WNBA campaign due to injury this seasonCredit: GETTY<\/p>\n<p>The league is five-on-five, so it represents a more established form of basketball, unlike its <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/basketball\/2228605\/unrivaled-womens-basketball-caitlin-clark-angel-reese-wnba-fever\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"fellow off-season league, Unrivaled (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">fellow off-season league, Unrivaled<\/a>, which is a three-on-three league.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, its huge salaries, which<a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/basketball\/3117356\/wnba-draft-rookies-salaries-contracts-angel-reese-caitlin-clark\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\" stump contracts in the WNBA (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\"> stump contracts in the WNBA<\/a>, mean that players could skip the WNBA season.<\/p>\n<p>And while that may sound like a stretch, it isn&#8217;t.<\/p>\n<p>Diana Taurasi skipped the 2015 WNBA season after earning $1.5 million with Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg in the off-season.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, she earned $107,000 per year in the WNBA.<\/p>\n<p>It is worth noting that the WNBA and its player union are currently engaged in <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/basketball\/3604183\/wnba-angel-reese-sophie-cunningham-contracts-commissioner\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations. (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert addressing media after Naphessa Collier comments\" height=\"640\" width=\"960\" data-credit=\"Getty\" data-img=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-wnba-playoffs-finals-las-1028645690.jpg\" data-caption=\"This emergence of a new league comes amid the recent public fallout between Engelbert and her players\"   loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-wnba-playoffs-finals-las-1028645690.jpg\" role=\"img\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>5<\/p>\n<p>This emergence of a new league comes amid the recent public fallout between Engelbert and her playersCredit: Getty<\/p>\n<p>Such discussions took a bitter twist when <a aria-label=\"Napheesa Collier launched a scathing attack on WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/basketball\/3636171\/wnba-cathy-engelbert-espn-finals-aces-mercury-fans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">Napheesa Collier launched a scathing attack on WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I have the utmost respect for Napheesa and every single player in our league,&#8221; Engelbert said in response to criticims of her. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They are at the center of everything we do. I was disheartened to hear that some players feel the league and me, personally, do not care about them or listen to them. And if the players in the W don&#8217;t feel appreciated and valued by the league, then we have to do better and I have to do better.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The union and the WNBA entered into a 30-day extension after they couldn&#8217;t agree on a deal by the Oct.30 deadline. <\/p>\n<p>Project B vs Unrivaled<\/p>\n<p>Project B is also backed by some huge stars.<\/p>\n<p>Its investor group includes tennis stars like <a aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/who\/novak-djokovic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">Novak Djokovic<\/a> and Sloane Stephens, but also several WNBA champions in Alana Beard and Candace Parker.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Novak Djokovic holding US Open trophy\" height=\"653\" width=\"960\" data-credit=\"Getty\" data-img=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/novak-djokovic-serbia-poses-championship-844093968.jpg\" data-caption=\"Djokovic is one of many stars across several sports backing the new league\"   loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/novak-djokovic-serbia-poses-championship-844093968.jpg\" role=\"img\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>5<\/p>\n<p>Djokovic is one of many stars across several sports backing the new leagueCredit: Getty<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re paying multiples higher than is available right now in the world of women\u2019s sports,\u201d founder Burnett told FOS last month. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are paying the highest salaries and equity packages in women\u2019s team sports, and this will be some of the best players in the world. We want this to be incredible basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Unrivaled paid its players an <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/basketball\/3029943\/unrivaled-finals-angel-reese-wnba-salary-bonus-earnings\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"average salary of $220,000  (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">average salary of $220,000 <\/a>in its inaugural season earlier this year, and it will face a direct threat from Project B, since their competitions overlap. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re confident with what we\u2019ve built in collaboration with our athletes, partners, and investors,\u201d Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell said in a statement to FOS.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the WNBA&#8217;s current supermax is $249,244, with the lowest-paid players earning $80,000 annually. <\/p>\n<p>It looks like women&#8217;s basketball is in for another shakeup.<\/p>\n<p>Stay up to date with the latest from the WNBA across all platforms &#8211; follow our dedicated\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61571480857518\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">talkSPORT USA Facebook page<\/a>\u00a0and subscribe to our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@talkSPORTUSA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">talkSPORT USA YouTube channel<\/a>\u00a0for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Another new women&#8217;s basketball league has emerged, and it could shake up the WNBA. The WNBA is facing&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271838,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[724,49,735,114915,48,726,124629,121941,124634,124632,124633,82,4646,124630,124635,630,124631,8811,119309,25640,17822],"class_list":{"0":"post-271837","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-angel-reese","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-caitlin-clark","11":"tag-caitlin-clark-news","12":"tag-canada","13":"tag-chicago-sky","14":"tag-indidnaa-fever","15":"tag-project-b","16":"tag-project-b-caitlin-clark-contract","17":"tag-project-b-contracts","18":"tag-project-b-salaries","19":"tag-sports","20":"tag-unrivaled","21":"tag-when-does-the-wnba-start","22":"tag-where-is-caitlin-clark","23":"tag-wnba","24":"tag-wnba-2026","25":"tag-wnba-cba","26":"tag-wnba-contracts","27":"tag-wnba-news","28":"tag-wnba-salaries"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}