So the other WNBA teams filed a complaint against the Las Vegas aces…..

[Kblaze8855]

Apparently, they worked with local businesses and got every player on their team a $100,000 endorsement deal. The other teams say it’s A cap violation.

Personally, I think it was pretty smart and seems like a reasonable move for teams in all leagues.

How do you bar a team from facilitating but not directly paying endorsement deals?

The founder of Nike is trying to buy the blazers right now. Does that mean he shouldn’t be allowed to facilitate future players to sign with Nike?

This has to happen all the time.

We’re supposed to pretend the Knicks can’t wink and nod at their business partners to help them secure the services of players by hinting at future endorsements? All the available marketing opportunities are openly discussed when players talk about going to New York or LA.

They aren’t allowed to formalize it I guess.

[Real Men Wear Green]

There were and are Jordan brand athletes all over the league. It's had nothing to do with signing with the Hornets but that at least shows a precedent for a team owner being involved with paying players outside of their NBA contracts. That's about as close as I can see to a justification... because they likely do violate the CBA and circumvent the cap here.

Assuming the WNBA doesn't penalize the team hard it's still a shrewd move. It generates good will among their players and could be forward- thinking because the WNBA sooner or later had to work out how they're going to pay players more money. Clark and a few others are not being paid anywhere near their true marketing value and of course we have the ultimate horror story in what happened to Brittney Griner in their pursuit of the payday the WNBA won't give them but other leagues will. It's kind of nuts that the top women's league is nowhere near the best paying.

[j3lademaster]

WNBA seems to have crabpot mentality. I don’t know how good Caitlyn Clark is and honestly don’t care, but I know her name and I know she got a Nike deal that they’re all hating on, and instead of using this hype to forward the league as a collective they just decide to hate on her and let jealousy ruin it for themselves.

[j3lademaster]

It's kind of nuts that the top women's league is nowhere near the best paying.Not really. As a league built for money laundering, you definitely want to show yourself losing a ton of money on the books.

[Real Men Wear Green]

WNBA seems to have crabpot mentality. I don’t know how good Caitlyn Clark is and honestly don’t care, but I know her name and I know she got a Nike deal that they’re all hating on, and instead of using this hype to forward the league as a collective they just decide to hate on her and let jealousy ruin it for themselves.
How is anything being ruined? I don't get this narrative. She's being allowed to play and is playing.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Not really. As a league built for money laundering, you definitely want to show yourself losing a ton of money on the books.
If the purpose is to look like you're losing money handing out bigger contracts would help...not how I view the WNBA (I am pretty sure it was started in response to PR pressure with the hope it becomes a profitable league one day), just pointing that out.

[Kblaze8855]

There were and are Jordan brand athletes all over the league. It's had nothing to do with signing with the Hornets but that at least shows a precedent for a team owner being involved with paying players outside of their NBA contracts. That's about as close as I can see to a justification... because they likely do violate the CBA and circumvent the cap here.

Assuming the WNBA doesn't penalize the team hard it's still a shrewd move. It generates good will among their players and could be forward- thinking because the WNBA sooner or later had to work out how they're going to pay players more money. Clark and a few others are not being paid anywhere near their true marketing value and of course we have the ultimate horror story in what happened to Brittney Griner in their pursuit of the payday the WNBA won't give them but other leagues will. It's kind of nuts that the top women's league is nowhere near the best paying.


it just feels like such an easy solution to me. With all the companies in business with the NBA and the WNBA? If for nothing but appearances they could get some corporate partner a blanket endorsement deal at every team couldn’t? Theres only 10 or 12 WNBA teams anyway.

Vegas showed its possible. Is it really unlikely New York City could do it? Or LA? Seems like a win-win compromise. You don’t have to dip into the obviously lacking revenue stream. Have someone else do it.


Whats the downside if every team is given a max they can go get formally allocated in pro NIL deals?

[FultzNationRISE]

As long as Lebron signed off on this I havent got a problem with it. You do need his rubber stamp to make a move like this, especially in Vegas, but if they got that from him this is fair game.

[j3lademaster]

If the purpose is to look like you're losing money handing out bigger contracts would help...not how I view the WNBA (I am pretty sure it was started in response to PR pressure with the hope it becomes a profitable league one day), just pointing that out.I'm talking about the Russian league. The wnba is straight subsidized by the nba, a $10mil/year check to look inclusive.

[Real Men Wear Green]

I'm talking about the Russian league. The wnba is straight subsidized by the nba, a $10mil/year check to look inclusive.
You could be right about that Russian league, I don't know enough about them to argue with you, but there are other women's leagues that women go to to get paid.