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The WNBA is drastically different now compared to when players like Candace Parker were on the court. Young players like Caitlin Clark has helped the league's popularity skyrocket. Because of that, the ongoing collective bargaining agreement(CBA) negotiations have taken center stage. Dwyane Wade, a part owner of the Chicago Sky, is not happy with the situation.
Wade has expressed interest in the WNBA and helping the league develop throughout his NBA career. Since retiring, he joined the Sky's ownership group. Because of that decision, the CBA negotiations impact him as well as the rest of the league's owners. However, Wade took some time to call out the league's younger players for their decision to sit out and complain about their pay.
The WNBA's All-Stars tried to make a statement before the All-Star Game on Saturday. They wore shirts that said “Pay us what you owe us” during their warmups, sending a message to the league. While he supported the sentiment, Wade disagrees with how young stars have approached the conflict. He said as much on Tuesday's episode of The Timeout.
“Candace Parker was one of the greatest to ever play,” Wade said. “She never got to experience the things that they’re experiencing right now. She just left the game. So when you’re a younger player coming in, and you’re disrespecting the game, you know in a sense that it looks like you’re disrespecting the game or you’re complaining about money. Or you’re sitting out, you’re not doing these things. Yeah the older players are going to feel a way because they have used this moment to like put on that platform for the next generation when they’re in there arguing with the CBA, they’re in there arguing about the future.”
Wade and the rest of the league's owners want to avoid a lockout. However, Breanna Stewart and other veterans around the WNBA want to receive a larger portion of the league's new income. Regardless of what happens, both stars want to make things better for the next generation. It is up to Clark and other future faces of the league to decide how they want to take advantage of the opportunity handed to them.
