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The money factor in women's pro basketball

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The lifestyle seems glamourous.

Diana Taurasi recently purchased a $3.3 million home in Manhattan Beach, Calif. with an ocean-view deck included in the master suite. Her basketball team flies on a private jet. And it’s not uncommon to receive cash payments after big wins.

It’s what you’d expect for a household name, who’s regarded as the best women’s basketball player in the world. But the primary financier isn’t the WNBA, the U.S. professional league where Taurasi cultivated her fame with the Phoenix Mercury. It’s her Russian club, UMMC Ekaterinburg, where she plays during the WNBA’s eight-month offseason.

Her loyalty to Ekaterinburg prompted Taurasi to pen an open letter to Mercury fans in February stating, “The year-round nature of women's basketball takes its toll and the financial opportunity with my team in Russia would have been irresponsible to turn down. They offered to pay me to rest and I've decided to take them up on it.”

Concern is still rippling through the WNBA as it prepares to tip its nineteenth season June 5. The Mercury are the defending league champions, Taurasi the Finals MVP. If she bails on the WNBA, what’s to keep others from skipping a season?

Taurasi’s stardom has beamed a light on how the WNBA’s monetary constraints have created a revolving door of American and international players deciding where or if they’ll play based on personal and financial reasons.

“Being the best player in the world, there’s a lot of pressure that goes along with that…I can relate to it,” said Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello, who also coaches Taurasi in Russia. Brondello, an Australian, missed WNBA games in 2000 to compete for her national team.

“I was not the level of player she is, but I played year-round, and it’s quite draining,” Brondello continued, noting that teams fly coach in the WNBA. “To take a summer off, especially considering Diana’s age, it might lengthen her career. It’s the right decision for her.”

It’s the WNBA’s unique setup that limits and broadens a player’s earning potential. The teams play 34 games during the summer months, capping player salaries at a maximum $109,500, with a minimum $38,913 for the 2015 season.

Players who want to keep their skills sharp, and pad their salary, travel overseas to places like China, South Korea, Israel, Spain, Poland, and Russia during the traditional hoops season—winter. FIBA, the international governing body, restricts the number of international players on a team to protect roster spots for natives.

Typically the Americans have the best skills and are paid the most money. Few dazzle a crowd like Taurasi.

The 32-year-old was selected by Phoenix with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 WNBA draft and began year-round play in 2005 for teams in Russia and Turkey. During the 10-year span, Taurasi has accumulated three Olympic gold medals, three WNBA championships, and five EuroLeague titles and has appeared in 11 all-star games globally.

Yet, her WNBA base salary was $107,500 for the 2014 season. She accumulated an extra $23,525 for winning the league championship, making the all-WNBA first-team and playing in the all-star game.

After taxes, the pay pales in comparison to the reported $1.5 million tax-free contract she signed with UMMC play for the 2014-15 season and miss the 2015 WNBA season.

When the news broke, Phoenix newspapers asked for fan reactions. Most understood the physical strain year-round play can put on an athlete’s body and the need for a paid vacation to heal nagging injuries.

“In more recent years, fans of the WNBA have become fans of the game as a whole,” said Storm center Quanitra Hollingsworth, who last played in the league in 2013. She became a naturalized citizen of Turkey and missed WNBA seasons to compete with its national team, including in the 2012 London Olympics.

“Obviously fans want to see us playing here at home to be able to come to cheer for us, shake our hand, and take a picture,” Hollingsworth continued. “But they understand and they still follow you [overseas]. Because it’s a career opportunity. Getting that Turkish citizenship allowed me to open up so many other doors by being able to play as a European player.”

Social media and access to live streamed games for a nominal fee have shrunk the global women’s basketball community. American fans could watch Taurasi play in Russia on any mobile device—albeit before sunrise.

Yet, as in her play, Taurasi is a rarity in her pay. Not even every American player on the 2012 Olympic roster could garner Taurasi’s overseas deal. Candace Parker plays for the same Russian team and is taking an indefinite break from the Los Angeles Sparks this summer, but wasn’t offered compensation.

“There aren’t too many teams overseas who have that type of money to make that type of demand,” said Ticha Penicheiro, an agent who, as a player in 2005, helped the now-defunct Sacramento Monarchs win the WNBA championship.

“It’s actually worse in Europe as far as the money is concerned,” Penicheiro continued. “The recession has hit everywhere and the Euro has fallen; teams don’t have the money that they used to. The WNBA is still the best league in the world and whatever money you make, it’s welcomed because most don’t make a whole lot of money overseas.”

Still, other players are faced with making personal decisions like Taurasi’s. All-stars like Shavonte Zellous (Indiana), Kristi Toliver (Los Angeles), and Epiphanny Prince (New York) are missing WNBA regular-season games to compete in the EuroBasket tournament in June. All are Americans, but were paid to become naturalized citizens to help other countries vie for a 2016 Olympic berth.

Young all-stars like Elena Delle Donne (Chicago) and Skylar Diggins (Tulsa) doubt they’ll ever play overseas because they make enough from stateside endorsements. And role players like Janel McCarville (Minnesota) and Leilani Mitchell (Phoenix) have taken breaks to rest their bodies despite not being compensated to miss the WNBA season.

The WNBA tried to protect itself from the shifting loyalty in the collective bargaining agreement signed in 2014, which cannot be changed for six years. Teams now will fine players up to 2½ percent of their base pay—not exceeding 20 percent total—for missed regular-season games. The figure jumps to 5 percent during the postseason.

Player salaries remain low, however, especially when compared to men’s professional leagues. WNBA teams can each divvy a maximum of $50,000 among its players to stay stateside for a maximum of 90 days.

But it’s doubtful the WNBA will ever offer enough money to close the door on players seeking overseas contracts. Only five teams out of 12 made a profit in 2014.

Instead, WNBA president Laurel Richie is focused on expanding visibility and finding ways to share player stories in an effort to create more fan favorites. It seems to be working.

Of the top 10 jersey sales during the 2014 season, Taurasi’s ranked seventh. All-star game MVP Shoni Schimmel of the Atlanta Dream led. Diggins, Delle Donne, Maya Moore (Minnesota), Parker, and Brittney Griner (Phoenix) followed.

So, fans may miss Taurasi in 2015, but there’s still plenty to love about the game.

“This isn’t a bad thing,” said Seattle Storm all-star Sue Bird, a former teammate of Taurasi’s in Russia. “Diana sheds light on some things. It’s very demanding to play year-round when you get to a certain age. Maybe changing our salary structure could keep players from going overseas. But our league? It’s headed in the right direction.”



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