The Phoenix Mercury played its first playoff game of the postseason last week without their star center, Brittney Griner, who is sitting in a Russian penal colony following her nine-year sentence for inadvertently carrying less than a gram of cannabis oil in her suitcase when she traveled to Russia. Griner has played with Russia's national women’s team for the past seven years.
Though there is talk of a possible prisoner swap that could free Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan, one wonders what the WNBA superstar will come back to in terms of her pro basketball career.
According to Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBA Players Association, the league is anxiously awaiting Griner's return home and to the court.
“It is hugely important for us and we still remind people to unite [as] Americans to get BG home because she is an American, and she's our family,” Ogwumike said Sunday in an interview with NPR.
And, yes, Griner is still receiving her WNBA salary, such as it is. In 2020, Griner signed a three-year $664,544 contract extension with Phoenix.
Griner was also earning over $1 million per year in Russia.
No doubt Griner will miss that hefty paycheck but probably not as much as the UMMC Ekaterinburg will miss her skills on the court.
The Pay Gap That Keeps On Gapping
Despite passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, a 2022 report noted that women earn 82 cents for every $1 men earn when comparing all women to all men. But when it comes to pro sports and basketball specifically, the pay scales are so incomparable as to be ludicrous.
The average NBA salary for the 2020-2021 season is $7.5 million but then you’ve got your Steph Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant hoopsters who can pocket anywhere from $40 million to $45 million a year.
Be that as it may, and there are many not very good reasons for the salary disparity, Griner won’t be hurting financially if/when/once she’s back home.
Luckily for the three-time all-American and Olympic gold medalist, the basketball court is not the only place where she makes money. Griner became the first openly gay athlete to land a Nike endorsement in 2013.
Nike (NYSE:NKE) is also selling Griner #42 jerseys for $100 each, according to this ad.
Will Athletes Still Decide To Play Overseas After The Griner Ordeal?
The jury is still out.
“It really is a quandary, and I know for sure that safety is going to be viewed differently as players consider how they make a living playing overseas and what that means for their careers in the WNBA,” Ogwumike said.
