The WNBA has experienced unprecedented success in the last two years, with record ratings and star players who have broken through to mainstream audiences. Women\u2019s basketball as a whole is in a great place, as there\u2019s also a deep field of outstanding collegiate teams and the upstart Unrivaled league to keep fans entertained in the offseason. Despite that success, or maybe because of it, fans are worried that the WNBA may be heading for a lockout.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s less than a week for the players association and the league to find an agreement on a new collective bargaining deal. Though there\u2019s hope that the two sides can find some common ground, the tenor of the rhetoric that\u2019s gone back and forth in the last year suggests that they just don\u2019t see eye to eye.<\/p>\n
Former No. 4 overall pick Kysre Gondrezick appeared on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast this week, and she spoke about the players\u2019 side of the negotiations; what they believe they deserve and what they\u2019re hoping to accomplish in light of the growth of the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely I think that we are deserving to be able to get paid for what we do,\u201d she said<\/a>.\u00a0\u201cWe have a very rigorous schedule, just like our male counterparts, but we\u2019re still building, and we\u2019re growing.\u201d<\/p>\n Gondrezick pointed out how the salary cap grows in the NBA each year as the league continues to grow, and said that she hopes the same thing can happen for the WNBA.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we continue to generate more of an audience \u2026 being able to have that distributed equally and deservingly so, but just being patient with understanding that growth and greatness takes time,\u201d she advised.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we can embrace that as a community, I\u2019m sure when the time is right, we\u2019ll find the balance of what we deserve and where we\u2019re trying to build,\u201d\u00a0Gondrezick <\/a>noted.<\/p>\n