Steph Curry Has Made Feelings Clear on WNBA Pay After Caitlyn Clark Snubs Offer
The Golden State Warriors have made a mixed start to the NBA season
Steph Curry has already spoken out on the WNBA pay gap, as the Warriors star's frustrations have become apparent over a failed attempt to sign Caitlyn Clark.
Curry is one of the most successful athletes in basketball history, winning four NBA championships during an illustrious career.
The 37-year-old has been the highest-paid player in the league since 2017 and is set to earn an eye-watering $59.6 million this season.
According to Spotrac, that places him third on the NBA's all-time career earners list, behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Advert
Away from the court, he has made a huge amount of money through his partnership with Under Armour, which he signed with in 2013.
Curry then signed a lifetime contract with the sneaker company in 2023, reportedly worth more than $1 billion.
However, that deal was ripped up earlier this month, leaving the NBA star free to sign another major endorsement deal.
After he warmed up for a Warriors match last week in Nike shoes, speculation has grown that he could re-sign with the footwear company he left for Under Armour.
One point of contention that reportedly frustrated Curry and his advisors was what they described as "underinvestment" from Under Armour.
According to Sports Business Journal, one "sore point" was the failed attempt to sign WNBA star Clark.
They wrote: "[Curry] and the company 'pursued the phenom, but Under Armour’s offer trailed the total value of Nike’s pitch'.”
Clark went on to sign an eight-year deal with Nike in 2024 and earlier this year became a Nike signature athlete, meaning she will have her own personalised product line.
Her first signature shoe and apparel collection is set to be released next year.
On the court, Clark has been central to the growing popularity of the WNBA.
The 23-year-old was the first pick in the 2024 draft for the Indiana Fever and she has been named an All-Star in both of her seasons to date.
With the WNBA experiencing a huge rise in popularity in recent years, tensions have grown around player pay.
The current collective bargaining agreement was due to expire on October 31, but the WNBA and the players' union agreed to extend negotiations until November 30.
Sources familiar with the latest proposal described it to The Associated Press as "a highly lucrative package providing substantial increases over prior years."
Curry has long pushed for the pay gap to be reduced.
On Women's Equality Day in 2018, he wrote in The Players' Tribune: "I think it’s important that we all come together to figure out how we can make that possible, as soon as possible.
“Not just as ‘fathers of daughters,’ or for those sorts of reasons.
"And not just on Women’s Equality Day. Every day – that’s when we need to be working to close the pay gap in this country.
"Because every day is when the pay gap is affecting women. And every day is when the pay gap is sending the wrong message to women about who they are, and how they’re valued, and what they can or cannot become.”
Topics: Steph Curry , WNBA, NBA, Nike
James Taylor