The release of WNBA star Brittney Griner from a Russian prison last week after 10 months in custody ignited a firestorm of opinions about the prisoner swap. It also brought to light the inequities faced by professional female basketball players in the United States.
The fact that Griner chose to play in Russia in the first place is a reminder of the enormous pay gap that exists between WNBA and NBA players. It is the reason roughly half of the players on WNBA rosters leave the country every off-season to supplement their incomes in Russia, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Israel and France.
The maximum WNBA salary this season was $228,094, the average was $130,000 and the minimum was $60,000. While those are good salaries by normal person standards, they pale in comparison to what NBA players pull in.
