Stephen A. Smith has made his feelings clear on WNBA pay gap row as players 'reject' record pay boost

Stephen A. Smith has made his feelings known on the WNBA pay issue after it emerged that players had rejected a record salary increase.

The earnings for the biggest stars in the ever-growing WNBA have become a huge topic of discussion of late, with leading players staging a protest over pay at the WNBA All-Star Game, sporting black t-shirts with white text reading: "Pay us what you owe us" during the warm-up.

Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky has previously revealed she struggles to pay her bills from her $73,000 salary, while the league's franchise player Caitlin Clark of the Indian Fever is said to collect just $78,000 for the ongoing 2025 season.

In comparison, Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry takes home $60 million-a-year in the NBA - while male players are guaranteed to take 50 per cent of the league's revenue compared to 25 per cent for the female stars in the event that revenue is hit.

The players and the union have been locked in negotiations over pay for WNBA players but the issue has not been resolved.

According to reports, the WNBA players turned down a proposal which would have increased the minimum salary from $66,000 to $250,000 - as well as the maximum improving to $1 million.

Satou Sally of Phoenix Mercury, who acts as the union representative, was almost insulted by the offer which came in.

The WNBA players protested against their pay. Image: Getty

"I think we can focus on our players in the union," she said.

"We got a proposal from the league that was honestly a slap in the face. I think we really need to put an emphasis on the players that are in our league right now, but I love to see the league growing. I think adding teams in Philly and Detroit that’s amazing, is that the league can grow."

Back in 2020, when both NBA and WNBA players had to be in a bubble during the COVID-19 players, the difference in facilities was highlighted online.

Stephen A. Smith reacted to "different" treatment for WNBA players

Whereas NBA stars got five-star dining and townhouses, a thread from Kayla Johnson social media showed the WNBA players had to deal with a dingy laundry room, a worm on the floor of a room and a less than appetising meal which was served.

A meal served to WNBA players in the bubble. Image: X/@klajohnson

There was also a shower that did not drain and according to ESPN, the poor conditions also included a broken bed and faulty plumbing - which garnered complaints from players who were also asked to fill out a survey.

On ESPN's 'First Take', the outspoken Smith weighed in and highlighted the drastically different treatment as he called for the NBA to act.

“I’m hearing a lot of rumblings, a lot of people have reached out to me over the last 24 hours talking about how the NBA players themselves are treated vastly different than WNBA players.

"A lot of people in the WNBA — I’m hearing some noise about the treatment that they’re receiving," he commented.

"The hotel rooms might be fine, but the laundry facilities and things of that nature, it’s considerably less than what NBA players are being treated like.

"These kinds of things will be very problematic for the NBA because when you say WNBA, it’s not like people are going to separate that from the NBA when it comes to something like this. It’s going to be all intertwined. So the NBA might need to be aware of that and make sure they address that quick, fast and in a hurry, because there are rumblings that are proliferating."

The WNBA was created by the NBA back in 1996 and has a 50 per cent ownership whilst also subsidising the competition.