WNBA Player Napheesa Collier Calls Out Pay Discrepancy Between Coaches And Players

WNBA Player Napheesa Collier is calling out the immense pay discrepancies between coaches and players in the league. The professional athlete took to X on Oct. 17 to express her discontent with the salary differences.

Collier’s criticism comes after the news that Pheonix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts will become the highest paid coach in the organization’s history. Collier used her platform to draw attention to the fact that some coaches make four times as much as star players.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad coaches are getting paid, but it’s kinda crazy they’re making 4 times more than the highest paid players 🥴

— napheesa collier (@PHEEsespieces) October 17, 2023

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad coaches are getting paid, but its kinda crazy they’re making 4 times more than the highest paid players,” shared the 2020 Olympian.

Announced by sports journalist Adrian Wojnarowski a day prior, Tibbetts new salary, which is stated to be upwards of $1 million a season, will be the highest ever given out to a WNBA coach. However, according to Front Office Sports, his lack of experience in the women’s league, or coaching women’s basketball in general, is concerning to naysayers.

ESPN Sources: Orlando Magic assistant Nate Tibbetts is finalizing a deal to become the new head coach of the Phoenix Mercury. Tibbetts — who’s also been an assistant with Portland and Cleveland — will become the highest paid coach in WNBA history. pic.twitter.com/4GTw8zsTvW

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 16, 2023

The Minnesota Lynx forward is a star player in her own right as well, having made the 2023 WNBA First Team roster. Despite her accomplishment in the sport, Collier will not make even half as much as Tibbetts will next season. The 27-year-old will earn a base salary of a little over $208,000 for the 2024 season, a far cry from Tibbett’s check.

The highest-paid player currently in the WNBA is Erica Wheeler for the Indiana Fever, whose salary of $242,154 is still a fraction of the new Pheonix Mercury coach’s pay raise. Pay discrepancy between women and men’s sports has been a longstanding issue, especially in the WNBA, where comparisons of their salary to the male counterparts was brought up by players previously.

Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum spoke on The Residency Podcast last November on why WNBA players should receive an equal percentage of the league’s shared revenue, just as NBA players do.

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As the conversations surrounding women’s pay in sports garner attention once again, athletes in the WNBA are not holding back on speaking out for salary increases.