'I'm the best player in the world': Diana Taurasi compares WNBA paycheck to janitor and sparks massive debate
Diana Taurasi, one of the most respected names in women's basketball, has spoken up again and this time, she didn't hold back. In a bold and emotional moment, she revealed how poorly the WNBA paid her, even at the peak of her career.
Her comments, made in a new documentary, are now at the center of a growing conversation about fair pay for WNBA players, just as the league's pay rules are up for change.
Diana Taurasi says she was paid less than a janitor during her WNBA career
Women's basketball legend Diana Taurasi didn't hold back when she talked about WNBA salaries. In a new Amazon Prime Video docu-series titled Taurasi, which premieres on August 7, 2025, Diana Taurasi shared how badly paid she was throughout her time in the league.
She revealed that she earned so little in the United States that she had to leave the country every year just to make a proper living.
'I'm the best player in the world, and I have to go to a communist country to get paid like a capitalist,'
Diana Taurasi said about playing in Russia during the WNBA offseasons. She even claimed,
'The f****** janitor at the arena made more than me.'
These bold comments came just weeks after the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, held in Phoenix, Arizona, where players wore shirts that said 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' before the game.
The timing of Taurasi's words has sparked even more talk as the current WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is set to end after the 2025 season.
Diana Taurasi compares WNBA salaries to overseas pay and shares personal sacrifice
In the docu-series Taurasi, Diana Taurasi spoke honestly about why she had to play overseas. She said that Russian teams paid her far more than the WNBA ever did. And while she was earning good money abroad, it came with a cost.
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'One time, I came back [to the U.S.] and I was like, 'Man, my parents have just gotten older, and I've missed a big part of it,''
Taurasi said in the documentary
.
'We weren't making that much money, so generational wealth was coming from going to Russia every year.'
Diana Taurasi is known as one of the greatest players in women's basketball. She has played for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA for over two decades and helped grow the sport around the world. Her honest words now echo the feelings of many current WNBA players, who are pushing hard for higher pay and better treatment under the next CBA deal.
With the new deal expected in 2026, players hope Taurasi's powerful words will help bring real change.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
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