Liz Cambage speaks out on CBA issues in WNBA
Liz Cambage made headlines earlier this month when she signed with the Sparks in free agency. Now she's turning heads again, but this time for a greater cause.
Cambage spoke out against the WNBA pay structure and overall system Wednesday on ESPN's "NBA Today." Speaking with anchor Malika Andrews and reporter Ramona Shelburne, she described the effect that the league's salaries have had on her and others.
“I’ve been vocal since day one," Cambage said. "I sat out five seasons because I get paid five to eight times more overseas a season than I do in the WNBA. ... It’s hard when you have the ‘best league’ in the world, but we’re not treated like the best athletes in the world.”
At 30, one would think Cambage has several seasons of WNBA experience under her belt, but that's not the case. She's played just five years in the states, opting as she said instead to play exclusively overseas in several years.
The story is similar for many other WNBA players, but sitting out entirely is more rare. Many will play for their WNBA team during the regular season and an overseas club in the other months.
"It’s hard when you want to be at home. America is home to me now, and I want to spend as much time as I can here," Cambage said. "But a lot of women go overseas and spend eight months in China or Europe to make their main money."
Sky star Courtney Vandersloot expressed similar frustrations earlier this year when she received what was described as a "disrespectful" offer from Chicago, where she's played her entire WNBA career. According to a report from Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times, Vandersloot's Russian club was pursuing the opportunity to pay her to sit out of the WNBA season, but she did eventually re-sign with the Sky.
Cambage also will not sit out this year, as she appears to be excited to join the Sparks. They will be instant title contenders with her in the mix, as she's been an All-Star in the last three seasons she's played in (and four out of five seasons overall).
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