With the recent explosion in popularity of the WNBA, it’s not exactly controversial to say that many of the players are wildly underpaid. However, there is a proper way to make that argument.
Unfortunately for WNBA legend Diana Taurasi, she did not properly convey her views on WNBA salaries, and she’s rightly getting criticized for the way she went about it.
Diana Taurasi Needlessly Disses Janitors While Calling Out WNBA Pay
Taurasi has always been one to speak her mind, even dating back to her days at UConn as a star under head coach Geno Auriemma. Taurasi’s charisma, as well as her remarkable play, are the reasons she became a superstar in the women’s game.
But in a newly released docuseries from Amazon Prime, Taurasi addressed WNBA salaries in a way that didn’t exactly make her sound like a sympathetic figure.
“I’m the best player in the world, and I have to go to a communist country to get paid like a capitalist.”
Taurasi premieres tomorrow on Prime Video. pic.twitter.com/64HU21zoOQ
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) August 6, 2025
“I’m the best player in the world and I have to go to a communist country to get paid like a capitalist,” Taurasi said of getting paid more to play overseas than in the WNBA. “We weren’t making that much money, so generational wealth was coming from going to Russia every year.
“Now we have to come back home, and get paid nothing to play in a harder league, in worse conditions against the best competition in the world. The f—ing janitor at the arena made more than me.”
Diana Taurasi Has A Point!
It’s not that Taurasi is wrong about WNBA players being underpaid. The league average salary in the WNBA is just under $150,000 this season, while the league minimum is $66,000.
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, the runaway favorite to win the WNBA MVP award this season, will earn a base salary of $214,284 as part of the three-year, $552,516 contract she signed prior to the 2023 season
By comparison, the biggest stars in Russia previously earned upward of $1 million in a single season. Althought that, of course, comes with added risk.
Fans Are Mad At Taurasi For Taking A Shot At Janitors
Nobody is mad at Taurasi for asking for more money. But why did she have to compare her pay to that of arena janitors?
Janitors and service workers rarely get the respect they deserve. But they do jobs that are integral to the venues running properly on a day-to-day basis, and they often do jobs that many others don’t want to do.
Which is why fans were quick to call out Taurasi for unnecessarily taking a shot at janitor.
“At least the “f—ing janitor’ provides a useful service,” one person posted on X. “As opposed to Diana Taurasi, who wants to get paid for participating in a hobby that loses money hand over fist.”
“Who keeps telling them this obnoxious, entitled behavior is winning support?” asked another.
Additionally, Taurasi made $235,000 in her final season in the WNBA. Yes, maybe there are some arena janitors who made that much. But it’s highly doubtful! So not only is she taking a shot at janitorial workers, but she’s also making (likely) incorrect claims!
Listen, WNBA players should probably be paid more in the next CBA. And they almost certainly will be. But there’s no need to use innocent, hard-working people to get your point across.
The post Diana Taurasi Lamely Disses Janitors In Attempt To Advocate For Higher WNBA Player Play appeared first on BroBible.
Diana Taurasi Lamely Disses Janitors In Attempt To Advocate For Higher WNBA Player Play
Pinoy Human Rights
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