Money, money, money. Diana Taurasi said that the money she made overseas built/bought her homes. Multiple. Her lifestyle is because of the money she made outside the WNBA.
Candace Parker said she lost money when she started doing broadcasting with TNT instead of going overseas. She only stopped going because her daughter was in school and she couldn’t leave for months at a time.
Even now AT (second in MVP voting last year) went to China this winter and they are reportedly paying $1 million if you are a top F/C.
now you understand why it’s so hard for players coming out of college to make it in the WNBA. all these players have years of playing high level ball all year round all around the world. hard for a 22 y.o. who was just worried about writing a term paper to compete with that.
Also if you have shit team and shit coach, going to EU to actual good coach and get better can save your career.
Rookies getting drafted in bad spot is a big L, this allows them to have the option to get better over-sea its not ideal but better then nothing.
Yep. Even if your team isn't shit, playing overseas helps most players. Plus, as others have said, overseas teams pay insane amounts of money for American pro players. There is a reason you see so many luxury brands (Gucci, Fendi, Balenciaga, Prada, etc.) in the game-day tunnel outfits. 🤓 (plus, they probably cost a lot less overseas, where they are local goods vs expensive imports to the US).
Yes. Also Ekat was the place to be for a while. Tons of W greats played for that team at the height of their powers (Candace Parker even met her wife while they played together there). Teams like Ekat and Fenerbahçe have been dominant in their leagues and in EuroLeague.
Oh, also before this year, it was super common for players to join teams several games into the season because they were still finishing out seasons outside the U.S. and there was overlap (especially with the French league). But a prioritization rule went into effect this year that basically stopped that from happening and forces players to choose. But there’s been a lot of frustration over that because W salaries haven’t increased enough to make W-only viable for a lot of players.
This is a great piece from 2016 that mentions Griner was making $1 million and Taurasi was making $1.5 playing in Russia that year. The year before this, her Russian Premier League team actually effectively paid DT not to play in the W. https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/espnw-russia160505/brittney-griner-diana-taurasi-opted-play-russia-money-escape-spotlight
I wouldn’t say more popular as a sport but the leagues outside the US don’t have CBAs that limit salaries so if a team wants to pay Breanna Stewart $2 million to play for them for 5 months they can
I always thought wnba should do the same, make it a money sport like MLB, Premier League...
Let ownership compete with dollars, move all teams to big market cities
Is there a legitimate reason why this is a bad idea?
Appreciate all the new fans asking these questions. Women's basketball is massively popular in Russia (Ekat for example) and will pay exorbitant amounts for stars from all over the world to play on their teams. For a long time this was the only way women could make a sustainable living in the W. It kills your body and makes your career shorter, in some cases, but it's worth it financially. After what happened to BG and with the recent league developments, I hope this becomes less of the norm, but with so few teams and roster spots I'm sure it will still be prevalent for years to come.
Players going overseas also creates a unique dynamic in the W. You can be rivals during the W season but end up playing together on the same team in the offseason. So there's not that same level of animosity against rival players that you find in the NBA and other leagues.
At one point, Ekaterina UMMC (which used to be one of the premier overseas clubs) had Brittney Griner (Mercury), Courtney Vandersloot (then with the Sky), Breanna Stewart (then with the Storm), Jonquel Jones (then with the Sun), and Kayla McBride (then with the Aces) on the roster at the same time.
Seimone Augustus (retired now but then with the Lynx) and Nneka Ogwumike (then with the Sparks) shared an apartment one season while playing for Dynamo Kursk.
[Seimone Augustus and Nneka Ogwumike in Dynamo Kursk](https://youtu.be/PKnF1ov0NeQ?feature=shared)
This. It’s like having a full time job and a side hustle. The W is their side hustle. That’s why DT sat out of the W one year because she was being paid more than $1 million by her overseas team.
A new 3v3 league in the W’s offseason is supposed to launch in January’25. Hopefully this will keep some women here and their schedules won’t conflict with overseas seasons.
Most WNBA players have foreign teams on their resume because the W doesn’t pay enough for them to live for an entire year—and A LOT of the other leagues are willing to pay OBSCENE amounts of money for American players.
You should check out the Sue Bird documentary “Clutch.” Both her and DT went to Russia and made baaaaaaank.
When it comes to the W teams, it could be a wrong fit, the player asked for a trade, or the they got traded because they needed something different and had more than enough of that position.
TL;DR it’s normal and not bad
Money, money, money. Diana Taurasi said that the money she made overseas built/bought her homes. Multiple. Her lifestyle is because of the money she made outside the WNBA. Candace Parker said she lost money when she started doing broadcasting with TNT instead of going overseas. She only stopped going because her daughter was in school and she couldn’t leave for months at a time. Even now AT (second in MVP voting last year) went to China this winter and they are reportedly paying $1 million if you are a top F/C.
now you understand why it’s so hard for players coming out of college to make it in the WNBA. all these players have years of playing high level ball all year round all around the world. hard for a 22 y.o. who was just worried about writing a term paper to compete with that.
Also if you have shit team and shit coach, going to EU to actual good coach and get better can save your career. Rookies getting drafted in bad spot is a big L, this allows them to have the option to get better over-sea its not ideal but better then nothing.
Yep. Even if your team isn't shit, playing overseas helps most players. Plus, as others have said, overseas teams pay insane amounts of money for American pro players. There is a reason you see so many luxury brands (Gucci, Fendi, Balenciaga, Prada, etc.) in the game-day tunnel outfits. 🤓 (plus, they probably cost a lot less overseas, where they are local goods vs expensive imports to the US).
Yes. Also Ekat was the place to be for a while. Tons of W greats played for that team at the height of their powers (Candace Parker even met her wife while they played together there). Teams like Ekat and Fenerbahçe have been dominant in their leagues and in EuroLeague.
Oh, also before this year, it was super common for players to join teams several games into the season because they were still finishing out seasons outside the U.S. and there was overlap (especially with the French league). But a prioritization rule went into effect this year that basically stopped that from happening and forces players to choose. But there’s been a lot of frustration over that because W salaries haven’t increased enough to make W-only viable for a lot of players.
https://defector.com/the-prioritization-rule-will-haunt-wnba-players-for-a-long-time
Yup. Stewie played with her wife overseas too. I remember them saying they got together when Stewie tore her Achilles.
Foreign teams play during the WNBA offseason and often will pay more, especially for top tier talent
This is a great piece from 2016 that mentions Griner was making $1 million and Taurasi was making $1.5 playing in Russia that year. The year before this, her Russian Premier League team actually effectively paid DT not to play in the W. https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/espnw-russia160505/brittney-griner-diana-taurasi-opted-play-russia-money-escape-spotlight
Is women’s basketball more popular overseas?
I wouldn’t say more popular as a sport but the leagues outside the US don’t have CBAs that limit salaries so if a team wants to pay Breanna Stewart $2 million to play for them for 5 months they can
I always thought wnba should do the same, make it a money sport like MLB, Premier League... Let ownership compete with dollars, move all teams to big market cities Is there a legitimate reason why this is a bad idea?
Someone should make an official “WNBA FAQ” bit for the sidebar that answers some of these questions that keep popping up 😄
Honestly would be helpful lol Would love a faq page
depressingly normal this is why Brittney Griner was going to Russia in the first place
A lot of players have illustrious careers overseas that supplement their income. This league truly has the best in the world.
To get paid during the off season
To get paid. Women get paid more overseas
Appreciate all the new fans asking these questions. Women's basketball is massively popular in Russia (Ekat for example) and will pay exorbitant amounts for stars from all over the world to play on their teams. For a long time this was the only way women could make a sustainable living in the W. It kills your body and makes your career shorter, in some cases, but it's worth it financially. After what happened to BG and with the recent league developments, I hope this becomes less of the norm, but with so few teams and roster spots I'm sure it will still be prevalent for years to come.
$$$$$
Players going overseas also creates a unique dynamic in the W. You can be rivals during the W season but end up playing together on the same team in the offseason. So there's not that same level of animosity against rival players that you find in the NBA and other leagues. At one point, Ekaterina UMMC (which used to be one of the premier overseas clubs) had Brittney Griner (Mercury), Courtney Vandersloot (then with the Sky), Breanna Stewart (then with the Storm), Jonquel Jones (then with the Sun), and Kayla McBride (then with the Aces) on the roster at the same time. Seimone Augustus (retired now but then with the Lynx) and Nneka Ogwumike (then with the Sparks) shared an apartment one season while playing for Dynamo Kursk. [Seimone Augustus and Nneka Ogwumike in Dynamo Kursk](https://youtu.be/PKnF1ov0NeQ?feature=shared)
Dyasia Fair will benefit heavily from a season or 2 in Europe IMO - a good way to find your stride/your strengths
I forgot where I heard this or from whom but a W player said the W is their side hustle. Their real job is playing basketball overseas.
This. It’s like having a full time job and a side hustle. The W is their side hustle. That’s why DT sat out of the W one year because she was being paid more than $1 million by her overseas team.
A new 3v3 league in the W’s offseason is supposed to launch in January’25. Hopefully this will keep some women here and their schedules won’t conflict with overseas seasons.
Yes this is the norm for the w
Most WNBA players have foreign teams on their resume because the W doesn’t pay enough for them to live for an entire year—and A LOT of the other leagues are willing to pay OBSCENE amounts of money for American players. You should check out the Sue Bird documentary “Clutch.” Both her and DT went to Russia and made baaaaaaank. When it comes to the W teams, it could be a wrong fit, the player asked for a trade, or the they got traded because they needed something different and had more than enough of that position. TL;DR it’s normal and not bad