WNBA Pay Gap Exposed After Player Chooses College Over Pros Despite Being Drafted

Although she was selected in the third round of the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics with the No. 30 pick, Belgium forward Nastja Claessens was announced as a member of the Kansas State Wildcats basketball roster on Friday.

Albeit a huge addition for the Wildcats, who are adding a player who was a member of the Belgian Senior National Team that won FIBA Women’s EuroBasket last month, and was also a member of Belgium's 2024 Paris Olympics roster, it is a huge slap in the face to the WNBA.

WNBA Pay Issues

As the WNBA All-Stars proudly displayed before the WNBA All-Star Game earlier this month, players in the league are not all on board with the league's current pay structure. The biggest stars in the league, such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Sabrina Ionescu, along with the other All-Stars, all wore shirts that read "Pay us what you owe us."

According to Market Watch, the current CBA only sees WNBA players get 9.3% of the league's revenue, while leagues like the NBA, NHL, and NFL all receive around 50%. Although the league historically hasn't been as financially successful, the WNBA announced a historic media rights deal last July worth $2.2 billion.

Claessens Can Reap Rewards of New WNBA's New CBA

It's unclear when the 21-year-old forward who averaged 5.2 points on 52.9% shooting during EuroBasket will make the leap to the WNBA, but by the time she does, there's a high probability that the WNBPA and WNBA have agreed upon a new CBA. A development that would presumably raise the average salary of players in the WNBA, which range from around $64,000 to around $252,000.

The players have made it clear that if there isn't a deal that they view as fit, they would be willing to force a lockout during the 2026 season which could either delay or cancel the season entirely.

Claessens' New Team

The Belgian will be joining a K-State program that went 28-8 this past season, the program's second-highest win total in school history. The Wildcats also made a fairly deep run in the NCAA Tournament, making an appearance in the Sweet 16.

With many people already talking about the WNBA's pay scale, a player choosing to play college ball over the pros is a prime example of the work that still needs to be done.