Diana Taurasi, the legendary WNBA player, is bringing her perspective on the sports industry’s pay disparities in a new three-part documentary series available on Amazon Prime Video. Through candid comments, she sheds light on the financial realities faced by female athletes and the stark contrast between domestic and international play.
The Pay Gap in Women’s Basketball
In her documentary, Taurasi confronts the financial inequalities that persist in women’s basketball. “I’m the best player in the world and I have to go to a communist country to get paid like a capitalist,” she asserts, shedding light on the challenges many female athletes face. “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.”
A Closer Look at Taurasi’s Earnings
In 2022, Diana Taurasi was among the highest-paid players in the WNBA, earning a salary of $228,094. Her final two seasons saw her take home $234,936, marking the peak of her 20-year career with the Phoenix Mercury. Overall, Taurasi’s career earnings exceed $10 million, making her one of the top-earning women in basketball history.
Data from Spotrac reveals that she earned approximately $1,385,416 during her last eight seasons. The new collective bargaining agreement introduced in 2020 significantly increased her pay, raising her salary from $119,500 to $221,450 in just one year—an impressive 85% increase. However, her rookie salary was only $40,800, despite her status as the number one draft pick. By 2014, Taurasi earned around $107,000 annually, a figure still below her true market value.
Despite her accolades, including 11 All-Star selections and three championship titles, Taurasi’s estimated total WNBA earnings likely fall below $2 million. In stark contrast, during her time playing overseas, particularly in Russia, she received substantial compensation. Reports indicate that Russian clubs paid her upwards of $1 million per year, including a notable $1.5 million from UMMC Ekaterinburg to temporarily skip the WNBA season.
Through her international contracts, Taurasi has earned an estimated $7 to $8 million, a significant portion of her overall income. Additionally, her sponsorship deals with major brands like Nike and BodyArmor, which reportedly paid her $1.35 million, further illustrate the financial disparities between domestic play and international opportunities.
Many WNBA players mirror Taurasi’s strategy, often seeking international contracts during the offseason to maximize their earnings. As discussions around a new collective bargaining agreement continue, the prevailing inequities leave athletes like Taurasi to navigate a complicated financial landscape.
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