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WNBA All-Stars talk with Yardbarker #RetireInequality movement

Arike Ogunbowale. Sports Press Photo

Watch: WNBA All-Stars talk with Yardbarker about March Madness memories, #RetireInequality movement

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 3/3/22

A’ja Wilson, Elena Delle Donne and Arike Ogunbowale have a combined three WNBA Most Valuable Player awards and 10 All-Star appearances among countless other accolades and achievements.

Wilson and Ogunbowale both captured NCAA titles at the University of South Carolina and University of Notre Dame respectively and were both named the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player during their team’s run to the crown.

Delle Donne starred at the University of Delaware -- leading the program to two showings in the "Big Dance" -- won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award in 2013, propelled the Washington Mystics to a championship in 2019 and has been one of the faces of the league for nearly a decade.

Between her playing career at Maryland and two years as a graduate assistant at UConn, Chloe Pavlech has been to six NCAA Final Fours and is now an assistant coach with perennial contender Baylor University.

All four women chatted with Yardbarker this week not only about their legendary basketball careers, but recent partnerships with TIAA, a leading provider of secure retirements. Beginning March 1 -- the start of Women's History Month -- TIAA, along with a host of WNBA and NCAA star players and coaches, launched the #RetireInequality movement, centered around the 30 percent gap in retirement income between women and men.

Other women’s basketball legends involved in the effort are Hall of Fame player and coach Dawn Staley, who currently coaches at South Carolina, Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer, who is currently at the helm at Rutgers University, University of Oregon forward Sedona Prince, Maryland forward Angel Reese and UConn guard Azzi Fudd.

In addition to March being Women’s History Month, International Women’s Day is on March 8 and the 50^thanniversary of Title IX is this summer.

Wilson talked with Yardbarker on Tuesday and explained her involvement with the movement.

pic.twitter.com/5jki1ssLjV
— A'ja Wilson (@_ajawilson22) March 1, 2022

"Seeing how many people are involved in our ‘30% challenge’ was big to me. I think just using the platform that I have through social media, it’s a step forward into what we’re going to do, which is raise awareness for this," Wilson said. "Like I said, I’m new to this, so I’m being pretty open with it, but TIAA has done a great job of allowing me just to use my platform just to push the awareness of it -- the retirement income gap -- which, I didn’t even think existed, but here it is."

The 2020 WNBA MVP and current forward for the Las Vegas Aces also looked back and shared her memories of her time with South Carolina, which included a national championship in 2017. Along with Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, March also sees “Selection Sunday” for both the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments on March 13 and the start of “March Madness.”

"(March Madness) was the absolute best time of the year. You get to travel a lot, that means that you’re not in classes a lot, but you’re also playing a lot, which means that you’re not in practice a lot. So you really get the best of both worlds when it comes to just being an athlete,” Wilson said. “When you have a moment to shine on the big stage and everyone’s watching you and people are busting brackets, it’s great to be a part of. It’s great to just live it and to be in it.”

Both Delle Donne and Pavlech chatted with Yardbarker on Wednesday about their partnerships with TIAA, as well as their March Madness memories with the Blue Hens and Terrapins respectively.

Ogunbowale -- who is the youngest of the quartet and enters just her fourth WNBA season this summer -- discussed TIAA and her time with the Fighting Irish on Thursday, one day after turning 25. Ogunbowale is best remembered for hitting not one, but two of the most iconic shots in college basketball history to lead Notre Dame to the title in 2018.