{"id":453058,"date":"2026-02-06T19:38:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T19:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/453058\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T19:38:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T19:38:08","slug":"erica-wheeler-makes-history-as-the-first-professional-basketball-player-to-join-onlyfans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/453058\/","title":{"rendered":"Erica Wheeler makes history as the first professional basketball player to join OnlyFans"},"content":{"rendered":"

The WNBA is going through one of the most tense off-court periods in its history, and Erica Wheeler has just made a move few saw coming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The veteran guard of the Seattle Storm has made history (and sparked widespread debate) by announcing an official partnership with OnlyFans, becoming the first active professional basketball player to do so.<\/p>\n

\"Erica<\/p>\n

Erica Wheeler of the Seattle Storm<\/p>\n

NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

A calculated move during a critical standoff<\/p>\n

The timing is deliberate. The WNBA and the players\u2019 union are entrenched in tough negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the possibility of a work stoppage looming and players pushing for salaries that finally surpass the $1 million mark, Wheeler has opted to proactively explore alternative revenue streams.<\/p>\n

Still, for anyone expecting the platform\u2019s usual stereotypes, Wheeler is clear: that\u2019s not what this is about.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than a stigma\u201d: Wheeler\u2019s intent<\/p>\n

At 34, Wheeler has emphasized that her account will not feature adult content. Instead, she plans to use the platform to offer an unfiltered look at what fans rarely see, her daily life, elite training routines, and time with family.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think people automatically label OnlyFans one way, and I don\u2019t believe that\u2019s what it is,\u201d Wheeler said in a recent interview. \u201cI\u2019m using it to show my routine and my life. I want people to see it can be much more than what they assume.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Erica<\/p>\n

Erica Wheeler’s OF account<\/p>\n

Screenshot<\/p>\n

A realistic \u201cPlan B\u201d for elite players?<\/p>\n

Wheeler isn\u2019t alone in thinking this way. Recently, Sophie Cunningham of the Phoenix Mercury acknowledged that platforms like this could represent a viable \u201cPlan B\u201d while players continue fighting for genuine pay equity.<\/p>\n

Four months into her time on the platform, Wheeler has already begun posting content that blends fitness with behind-the-scenes access to professional basketball life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As for criticism, she remains unapologetic: \u201cWho are you to tell me what I should or shouldn\u2019t do? It doesn\u2019t affect you.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than a personal financial decision, Wheeler\u2019s move functions as a broader test case, challenging long-held ideas about sponsorships, personal branding, and how women in elite sports can take control of their visibility and earning power on their own terms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The WNBA is going through one of the most tense off-court periods in its history, and Erica Wheeler…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":453059,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-453058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}