In the last few years, the WNBA, through player development, superstardom, and a burgeoning global platform, has continued to make strides. Players enter the league looking to become household names, with their own shoe deal, endorsements, and a level of visibility heretofore unseen.
For decades, the league evolved from a summer distraction into its own fully functioning entity that excites fans and draws higher ratings.
Recently, players have begun to enjoy the spoils of the overall success. With the 24-hour news cycle, players have become more famous than ever. However, for many, the most important aspect is improving financial opportunities. One former WNBA player sat down to discuss the lengths she had to go to in order to make a decent living.
Since 2018, Brown, a veteran reserve, has made professional basketball her occupation. Yet, the financial structure hasn't always been as solid. As a result, she needed to make alternative arrangements outside of the WNBA, as she details here .
"Lexie Brown says she made just $40,000 as a WNBA rookie and had to go overseas because she couldn't live off her salary. 'I made like $40K my rookie year…You can't live off of $40K… I took my ass overseas immediately. So, I played overseas for three straight years. We weren't making any money in college, so the little $40K was kind of still like, wow, I have money now.'" says the former Seattle Storm guard.
When many think of playing overseas, they envision male players who could not succeed in the NBA but could dominate internationally. However, many accomplished WNBA players supplemented their income by playing in countries such as Russia and Lithuania. Brown sees it as the cheat code she needed, while holding out hope for the league.
"I figured it out, made it work, made more money overseas. We just want the WNBA to be better. We didn't want to lock out. We didn't want to strike, but we were all completely prepared to," she added.
The current league collective bargaining agreement could be the reason that many will not need to head abroad. With the deal, there are increased salaries for all and a higher salary cap. On top of that, revenue sharing becomes a major bonus for the players.
At 31, Brown may not need to return to international play. As a result, depending on her current contract, her WNBA salary could allow her to play and then take months off, rather than needing to fill the gap with another job.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
