Latest news with #Women'sAll-StarGame
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gilbert Arenas shares his advice for WNBA players asking for more money: "Stop asking for a revenue split... Let the billionaires' egos kick in"
Gilbert Arenas shares his advice for WNBA players asking for more money: "Stop asking for a revenue split... Let the billionaires' egos kick in" originally appeared on Basketball Network. In the growing world of women's basketball, where ratings, popularity and overall cultural impact are experiencing an unprecedented boom, players still feel there's a glaring gap in their paychecks compared to their NBA counterparts. Realistically, they'll probably never see the astronomical numbers the men pull in; those are in a completely different galaxy, but women's stars want their fair, or at least fairer, share of the cake. And now, Gilbert Arenas, a former NBA star who earned over $160 million in salary alone, has offered a very direct piece of advice for WNBA players in their push for bigger paydays. "I think the problem here is this: stop asking for a revenue split," Gil bluntly shared during his recent appearance on "Two Personal Show." And when the host, Joy Taylor, asked him what they should ask for, Arenas quickly continued, "I want real money. Take the cap off, let our owner pay us what he wants to pay us." "So, when we talk about a revenue split, it is no different than business. We can split our revenue 50-50, so what the owner of the business do? 'Ah, there is no profit, there are all these bills to pay…' so there's no revenue. That's a pointless thing to do, because they are going to offset how much they lost," Arenas pointed out. "As a player, you don't want that." The "fight" is still far from over With the massive surge in popularity the league is enjoying right now, thanks in large part to the rise of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and A'ja Wilson, the push for higher salaries has never been stronger. One of the most striking moments in that movement happened during the 2025 Women's All-Star Game in Indianapolis, where attention-grabbing shirts worn by some of the league's biggest names read: "Pay Us What You Owe Us." It was probably the boldest public statement in this fight for a better future. The message was clear: women's basketball is not just thriving; it's exploding on a scale that deserves a new look at how its stars are compensated. And while debates over TV deals, sponsorship splits and league revenue have been ongoing for years, the new wave of talent has brought this issue to the Gil says "no" to revenue splits Arenas believes that chasing a revenue split isn't the right move simply because it leaves the door wide open for owners to massage the numbers and control the narrative. If revenue becomes the benchmark, it's easy to suddenly discover that there's "less" to split — thanks to conveniently timed expenses and creative accounting. Instead, Gil suggests something far more radical and honestly almost unimaginable at the moment: completely removing the salary cap on what WNBA players can earn and letting the deep-pocketed egos of billionaire owners take over. "Let the billionaires' egos kick in. Because one thing that somebody with money don't want to do is be on the same playing field with who's broker," he added. This is a pure survival of the fittest, or better said, richest, type of model that aligns with Arenas' flamboyant personality. However, it would instantly create a bidding-war culture in which the wealthiest owners outspend each other to lure and keep the league's biggest stars. And the problem? The richest pockets would win big, but the majority of the league would likely get left even further behind. It's hard to imagine such a model taking hold anytime soon. But then again, in an era where WNBA games are selling out, stars are pulling in unprecedented social media numbers, and the women's game is more marketable than ever, nothing feels truly impossible story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
30-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Lucy Olsen to participate in Women's All-Star Game during Final Four weekend
Lucy Olsen to participate in Women's All-Star Game during Final Four weekend Despite seeing their 2024-25 season come to a close following a 96-62 loss vs. No. 3 seed Oklahoma on March 24, Iowa women's basketball star senior point guard Lucy Olsen will be a participant in the 2025 Women's All-Star Game, held on April 5 from Tampa, Fla., as part of the Final Four Weekend. Olsen, who joined the Hawkeyes through the transfer portal after spending three seasons at Villanova, averaged 17.9 points per game on 43.6% from the floor, 36% from long range, and 74.4% from the stripe in 32 games played at Iowa. She also averaged a team-leading 5.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and .3 blocks per game. In her four-year career, she posted 2,077 (15.2 per game) points on 42.3% shooting, 32.9% from deep, and 75.9% from the charity stripe on 33.2 minutes averaged while starting in all 137 games played. The Women's College All-Star Game is a postseason celebration of the best senior women's basketball players in the country. The annual event, ran by Intersport, is comprised of the nation's top 20 women's basketball talents that have exhausted their NCAA eligibility to compete one final time for the programs before they begin their professional careers. The rosters are determined by using feedback from a voting panel made up of national media members and longtime coaches, Intersport staff, and Game Ambassador Terri Mitchell. The 2025 Women's All-Star Game will take place on Saturday, April 5 at Hillsborough Community College – Dale Mabry Campus in Tampa Bay, Florida with a tip-off set for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN2. For more information on the event, visit Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
