Players’ Association President Nneka Ogwumike discussed the differences with ESPN. She said the owners prefer that the league’s salary structure be based on a fixed percentage of league revenue. In contrast, the players’ union wants a more flexible agreement, with salaries escalating with revenues as the league grows. 

“We see the growth of the league, and as it stands, the current salary system is not really paying us what we’re owed,” Ogwumike explained. “And we want to be able to have that fair share moving forward, especially as we see all of the investment going in, and we want to be able to have our salaries reflected in a structure that makes sense for us.”

Ogwumike’s explanation of the union’s desired payment structure was the impetus for the players wearing the shirts on Saturday.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert expressed optimism that a fair deal would be reached by both sides, according to ESPN. She believed the players would be compensated with a more lucrative payment structure based on the significant increase in league revenue.

“We want the same things as the players want,” Engelbert said. “We want to significantly increase their salary and benefits while balancing with our owners their ability to have a path to profitability as well as continued investment. You see tens of millions of dollars being invested in practice facilities and other player experience by teams.”

“And we want to strike the right balance between those two so that can continue, because that’s helped our hypergrowth,” she added. “It’s helped our free agency. It’s helped our players play in places where they’re getting a great player experience.

“So that’s going to continue, I think, no matter what we do here, but it’s a balance between those two. But there is a proposal on both sides around revenue sharing,” she said.

Ogwumike, meanwhile, was not as convinced. She emphasized her preference for the players to have a revenue-sharing model that grew over time, not just a fixed percentage, ESPN reported.

“Based on what we saw and based on what we’re proposing, it’s two fundamentally different systems, and one that leans more towards a fixed percentage is what the league is responding to us with,” Ogwumike said. “And we want to have a better share where our salaries grow with the business, and not just a fixed percentage over time.”

Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx was the All-Star Game’s most valuable player. She discussed the team’s shirts during a press conference after the game. Collier said their purpose was to send a message to the league’s owners that they want to get paid what they feel they are worth.

“The players are what is building this brand and this league. There is no league without the players,” Collier said. “Past, present, the ones coming up, they’re the ones that have put in the blood, sweat, and tears for the new money that’s coming in.” 

“And so we feel like we are owed a piece of that pie that we helped to create,” Collier added. “So that’s basically what that is.”

Kelsey Plum, an All-Star guard from the Los Angeles Sparks, discussed the thought process behind wearing the shirts. 

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“We wanted to do something that was united as a collective, and I thought that it’s a very powerful moment and got the point across,” Plum said. “Sometimes, you don’t have to say anything.”

“The mission was accomplished because we built an incredible amount of awareness this weekend,” she added.