Charles Barkley Wants Companies To Invest In WNBA So Athletes Don't Play For 'Crap Countries'

Charles Barkley is calling for more investment in the WNBA.

The former professional basketball player slammed the poor salaries of WNBA players, saying it's unfair that they go abroad to supplement their income.

He also expressed dissatisfaction that bad NBA players are chosen ahead of superstar WNBA players to star in commercials and earn sponsorship deals.

He urged more American companies to "step up" and "partner" with the WNBA, which he described to be a "great product."

Read below for more details.

During his appearance on "The Bird And Taurasi Show," Barkley shared his thoughts about the WNBA, which had held its 2023 women's national title game on Sunday.

The former Power Forward was very critical of the poor remuneration the athletes receive compared to their male counterparts, forcing some of them to go to other international leagues in the offseason to earn money.

"The WNBA is a great product, but y'all should not have to [go] to these crap countries to make money," the TV analyst said while speaking with WNBA legends Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird, per Wavy.

Doubling down on his remark, Barkley voiced his desire for more American companies to invest in the association just as they do in the NBA.

"These American companies should put y'all in commercials, they should partner with y'all. [...] I'm asking these American companies to step up so y'all don't have to go play in these other countries," he added.

Elsewhere in the conversation, Barkley said he is yet to come to grasp why such companies are not partnering with the superstar WNBA players despite giving sponsorship deals to far less talented NBA players.

"I don't understand why these companies haven't been partnering with y'all for years and years," Barkley questioned. "You ladies should be on commercials everywhere."

He added, "We put bad NBA players in commercials before some of y'all superstars. That's what makes me mad. I'd love to have Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi on commercials."

Barkley also refused to name the NBA players who he thinks do not deserve sponsorship deals but did admit that it is an open secret.

Barkley's comment comes in the wake of ​​WNBA Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner making headlines last year after she was detained in Russia after immigration allegedly discovered vape cartridges containing hash oil in her bag.

The athlete was there at the time to play for the off-season and supplement her WNBA salary.

A columnist for The Washington Post, Karen Attiah, tweeted amid Griner's detention that the basketball player had gone to the country for the last seven years, "earning over $1 million per season — more than quadruple her WNBA salary."

While Griner was later released after several months in detention, her arrest sparked heated discussions on the pay-equity debate in women's basketball in America, particularly about how she would not have been jailed if WNBA players didn't need to travel abroad.

Amid the calls for an increase in the compensation of WNBA players and more investments, there has been some improvement over the past three years, per Yahoo.

In 2020, players experienced a 53% increase in salary after a community bargaining agreement was drafted, which also included paid maternity leave.

The groundbreaking agreement ensured that the average take-home pay was nearly $130,000, excluding additional bonuses and incentives.

Last February, it was reported that the association had gotten $75 million from investors to help with "brand elevation and marketing."

However, it is assumed that it will take a while before the pay disparity gap can be closed as concerns such as poor media coverage and fewer fans have yet to be appropriately addressed.