WNBA legend Candace Parker and Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston launched the debut episode of their highly anticipated podcast “Post Moves” on YouTube Wednesday, and the two-time MVP and three-time WNBA champion didn’t waste any time ticking off the current generation of players.
Candace Parker & Aliyah Boston Drop “Post Moves” Podcast
One of the major points of debate was how WNBA stars utilized All-Star Weekend to make a unified statement about where they stood in these current CBA negotiations. The players came together to wear shirts that read, “Pay Us What You Owe Us.”
WNBA players have expressed frustration with how the negotiations have been going. The main point of contention has been the revenue split between the players and the league. Currently, WNBA players receive a 9 percent revenue split, compared to about 50 percent in the NBA. With the next CBA expected to have a much healthier pot of money to share, players have been unrelenting and vocal about wanting a larger share of the pie, reflecting the league’s recent growth in viewership and revenue.
Parker didn’t just agree with the players as one would expect. She instead criticized them for the manner in which they chose to send their message and then went out during the All-Star game and gave a performance that she felt came up well short of their demands.
Candace Parker Eviscerates WNBA’s ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us’ Shirts After ‘Awful’ All-Star Performance
“Y’all can’t come out there with those shirts of ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us…’and then do that in the All-Star Game,” she said, in reference to the lackadaisical effort, even saying she felt the quality of the game was “awful.”
“I tried,” Parker said, but I’m a fan of the WNBA and can’t watch this (All-Star Game),” she explained. Parker feels a huge opportunity was missed by the ladies, who should have been playing like their lives depended on it and upstaging the men’s All-Star game in the process.
Ouch. Parker is a celebrity analyst, a league legend and probably the most respected woman’s voice in men’s hoops coverage, but under the circumstances, with the current players desperately fighting for a larger cut of the profits, Parker was not in line with the “united front” needed to avoid a strike.
Aliyah Boston Defends WNBA Players All-Star Game, Blames Grueling Schedule
Boston, a participant in that All-Star Game, pushed back on Parker’s bold and potentially damaging claim, defending the players’ efforts and the toll on players during the season.
“An All-Star Game, when we have another game in two days—I think it’s okay to just go out there and hoop and have some fun,” Boston said. “Because on Tuesday, we were back at it… and we were showing once again why we deserve to get paid.”
To which Parker replied, “I understand that it is challenging. You all were added 4-5 games this season without compensation which is unfair,” she said, talking about the WNBA’s expansion from 40 games last season to 44 this year.
Parker continued: “But I think on one of the biggest stages with people tuned into an all-star setting that was invested in more than any other all-star game previously––without Caitlin Clark––I think that it (a great performance with passion) would have maximized the moment of wearing the shirt with giving the product.”
WNBPA Needs One Unified Plan For Attacking CBA Negotiations
While understanding Boston’s point, Parker continued:
“I just think that no you all didn’t have to but i think it was an opportunity that you could have built on more momentum.”
The conversation shows the disconnect between the current players and even recently retired stars such as Parker. The WNBPA has much to consider as it pertains to its strategy in these current negotiations, because time is ticking and while the WNBA family agrees the players deserve more, there are some differences in the methods they should use to get there.
In the meantime, Aliyah Boston is letting her play in the games that actually count do the talking. The 23-year-old put up 22 points and 12 rebounds in a 107-101 win over Phoenix Mercury Wednesday night.
