In a moment that should have been a celebration of WNBA growth, a CBS Sports podcast instead sparked fan backlash by questioning the parity between two record-breaking contracts. A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces signed a record-setting three-year, $5 million supermax contract on April 15. That was the biggest deal in league history at the time. And just days later, Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever followed with a four-year, $6.3 million extension. And of course, that surpassed Wilson’s total value and is now the new benchmark in WNBA salary history.

Speaking on these two contracts on the April 23 episode of CBS Sports’ “We Need To Talk Now Full” podcast, Alicia Jay and Erica L. Ayala made comparisons between these two contracts. This caused quite some stir among the netizens. Perhaps the reaction is justified, because as Ayala noted during the discussion, she was “surprised that anyone came even close to being as well paid as A’ja Wilson.” 

Of course, even though Aliyah Boston now has the biggest contract by total value, A’ja Wilson still holds the higher average annual salary. Her three-year, $5 million deal comes out to about $1.67 million per year. Boston’s contract, spread over four years, results in a slightly lower annual average of $1.575 million. But even that was quite too close for Erica. And of course, she did explain her point.

According to her, “There’s only one of these two players that has a championship or multiple in the WNBA, not to mention the most MVPs ever seen in the league.” And that player is obviously A’ja Wilson. With these achievements, and some other factors she mentioned, she felt Wilson actually deserved better than what she got.

“I feel strongly about this that maybe A’ja Wilson is underpaid if someone without her résumé is making almost the same amount of money that she is,” Erica said. As shown in her statement, she does not necessarily frame Wilson’s salary as insufficient on its own. Rather, that realization only becomes apparent when it is layered and compared with what Aliyah Boston received.

Of course, as she further said, “It’s a little early to determine if this is too much for Aliyah Boston.” However, with her number being so close to that of A’ja Wilson, it makes her “start to wonder: is A’ja Wilson making enough money?” For her, it’s surprising that “anyone came even close to being as well paid as Wilson given her résumé.”

Naturally, the reasons given for this take seem valid to an extent. A’ja Wilson, who has been in the league longer, has a far more accomplished résumé. She’s a 3× WNBA champion, 2× WNBA Finals MVP, 4× WNBA MVP, 3× WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, and 7× WNBA All-Star, among other honors. However, the determinant of these deals does not come down to résumé and achievements alone. Other factors such as salary cap, roster flexibility, and team strategy also play a role.

Also, each deal takes advantage of different provisions in the CBA. Wilson’s contract is a Veteran Supermax, giving her 20% of her team’s salary cap and tying her earnings to league revenue. This means it has the potential to rise if the league continues to grow. Boston, on the other hand, used the Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract (EPIC) provision, which allowed her to move on from her rookie deal early and sign a major extension after meeting specific performance requirements.

Regardless, both contracts signal a massive development in the value that the WNBA, and women’s sports as a whole, now has. And for fans, that alone is worth celebrating.

From “Disgusting Takes” to Pay Debate, Fans Rally Around WNBA Contract Progress

Before the new CBA, the highest base salary in the WNBA was $249,244. Now, more than 30 players have signed contracts worth $1 million or more annually. And the record for the highest contract has been broken repeatedly within a matter of days.

That in itself is already a big win for the league. And so some fans couldn’t really understand why there still seemed to be an issue, as they perceived from the opinions of Alicia Jay and Erica L. Ayala on Aliyah Boston and A’ja Wilson’s contracts. “Always gonna find something to complain about lol that’s real skill,” one fan said.

For some fans, however, these comparisons were outright off-putting, and they didn’t hold back from expressing that. “A podcast talking about sports who have absolutely no clue about sports. Worst take ever,” one fan said. Another fan, even more blunt, added, “Disgusting takes. Y’all don’t care about women’s basketball fr.”

Some fans, while criticizing the comparisons, also went further to explain why they disagreed. As one fan put it, “Respectfully, this is a dumb take. Not only does A’ja make more, but AB is 5 years younger than her. Makes sense she’d be signed to a longer contract, especially when CC is right behind her. Plus it’s not like she hasn’t earned it. The extra money is literally because of her accolades.”

Another fan also added, “Yes, younger players often get paid more, because they will likely be playing longer. This is for ALL SPORTS! You seem so uninformed. Next year, probably someone else will be the highest paid.”

Ultimately, it was a long fight to finally have this level of financial value on WNBA players. So, it will be an even bigger win if another player goes on to break the record for contract value again next year. Who would it likely be? Perhaps someone like Caitlin Clark, or even another rising star in the league as its financial growth continues.