
The WNBA All-Star game on Saturday night in Indianapolis started with players wearing "Pay us what you owe us" shirts during warmups and ended with fans chanting "Pay them" at WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert while she was handing Napheesa Collier the All-Star MVP award.
That all had to do with the WNBA players' union's ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations with the league. Players want to make more money and have even talked about a possible work stoppage if they are not able to get what they believe they deserve.
On Sunday, Barstool Sports' founder Dave Portnoy ripped fans who have been sounding off against the players wanting more money.
"I see lots of morons trying to act like WNBA players don’t deserve more money," Portnoy tweeted. "They are throwing around this 'lost 50 million' number that nobody even knows where it comes from. The finances of the league are a mess, tied in with NBA and purposely murkey. The owners don’t want to say how the league is doing cause then you gotta pay more going into bargaining agreement. The league is exploding. Franchise values are exploding. Ticket sales, merch, TV rights all exploding. The players have an opt-out in their CBA. Of course they took it. It’s all about leverage in re-negotiations and for the 1st time in history of league players have power. The players make virtually nothing while the entire league explodes. Of course they deserve more money. Just the values of the team pay for it without all the other stuff. If somebody told me I could buy a Boston team for 250 million I would do it without blinking. That’s all you got to know about the WNBA finances."
I see lots of morons trying to act like WNBA players don’t deserve more money. They are throwing around this “lost 50 million” number that nobody even knows where it comes from. The finances of the league are a mess, tied in with NBA and purposely murkey. The owners don’t…
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) July 20, 2025
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out for the WNBA and for the players who continue to bring the league to new heights.
More WNBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dave Portnoy Rips 'Morons' Complaining About WNBA Players Wanting More Money.