With the WNBA\u2019s growth in recent years, debate over whether its stars are being fairly compensated has intensified. Many players in the league have called for better pay, and even NBA legends have joined the conversation. Dwyane Wade, for example, has invested heavily in the WNBA because he expects significant returns, making it an interesting topic when his father, Dwyane Wade Sr., brought it up on a recent podcast.<\/p>\n
Wade Sr. loves the fact that the WNBA has become increasingly popular in recent years, and that is a sentiment most would echo. After all, his son is part-owner of the Chicago Sky<\/a> franchise, whose star, Angel Reese, is one of the most recognizable players in the country today. Then there are players like Paige Bueckers<\/a>, Caitlin Clark, and Sophie Cunningham, who are attracting new fans to the league every day.<\/p>\n As viewership grows, the money should grow as well. Teams and organizers are generating more revenue than ever before with franchise valuations entering nine figures, so why should the players miss out on their share? That was exactly Wade Sr.\u2019s point.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they deserve more money,\u201d Wade Sr. said. \u201cThat\u2019s the number one thing\u2026 A lot of those players, they\u2019re just as good as we are, as men are. They shoot just as good.\u201d<\/p>\n Some may disagree, but Wade Sr. makes a valid point. It is not about pitting men against women. It is about recognizing that women play basketball just as excitingly as men, and they do.<\/p>\n Wade Sr. went on to compare basketball with golf, and noted that women are better at the sport than men are. \u201cSo basketball, the women look better than us,\u201d he declared<\/a>. \u201cThey shoot better, so they deserve more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Alas, within the league, a storm seems to be brewing between the players and officials. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert found herself in hot water<\/a> when Napheesa Collier accused her of saying that Clark<\/a> \u201cshould be grateful\u201d to the league for providing the platform without which she would not have earned millions from endorsements.<\/p>\n