Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Send Powerful Message With 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' Shirts During All-Star Game

The new era of the WNBA, fueled by superstars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, has brought more fans than ever before. During the 2025 All-Star Game in Indianapolis, those stars used their platform to demand more from the league. All players took the court for warm-ups wearing shirts with a bold message for commissioner Cathy Engelbert, making a silent but powerful statement in their fight for a new collective bargaining agreement.

WNBA All-Stars made a unified and powerful statement during warm-ups for last night's game, taking the hardwood in shirts emblazoned with a simple message: "Pay us what you owe us."

The shirts represent the players' latest push in their fight for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The process officially began after the WNBPA (the players' union) announced in October 2024 that its athletes would opt out of the existing agreement, triggering a one-year window to forge a new deal.

According to USA Today, WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike opened up about the players' decision to wear the bold T-shirts, explaining, “That’s something we wanted to make well known. In the bubble we always knew how to make a stand with some T-shirts, so we did that today."

She continued, "We look forward to negotiating our fair share and our value."

And the WNBA stars weren't the only ones demanding a better contract as the league continues to expand. During the MVP ceremony after the 2025 All-Star Game, fans inside Indiana's Gainbridge Fieldhouse erupted into chants of "pay them" while commissioner Engelbert was speaking.

Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum called the spirited display a "powerful moment."

"We didn't, at least our players, we didn't know that was going to happen," she said. "So, it was a genuine surprise. Those chants tonight, those signs, it just shows that as players, we are united, but the fans are united in believing what we're seeking."

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier echoed that sentiment, adding, "The fans making that chant ... that gave me chills."

Although sidelined by injury for the 2025 All-Star Game, Indiana Fever star Clark still made her voice heard on the league's fight for a better contract.

"That’s one of the things we're in the room fighting for," Clark said, per USA Today. "We should be paid more and hopefully that’s the case moving forward as the league continues to grow. I think that’s something that’s probably the most important thing that we are in the room advocating about."

Clark expressed optimism about the players' progress, highlighting the significance of the more than 40 players who turned out for the first meeting with league officials in months during All-Star weekend.

According to the 23-year-old, she and her colleagues sent a "powerful message to league representatives," adding, "there's power in numbers."

The players' "Pay Us What You Owe Us" protest shirts quickly went viral, igniting a fierce debate among fans and critics alike.

One critic on X posted, "Nobody wants the WNBA to succeed more than me, but wearing 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' t-shirts in the middle of CBA negotiations when the league operated at a $40 million loss last year and has never been profitable is peak delusion."

However, several users fired back, writing, "This is the most delusional tweet of all time. I have no words," while another wrote, "It's y'all thinking the NBA has been some profitable league all 79 years of its existence."

Another user offered a counterargument, sharing, "If you're an employee, the employer's profit margin isn't your problem or responsibility." They continued, "They need to pay you what you are worth or they can't have said employee. Only in the US are people expected to have some allegiance to a company with no reciprocation. It's a work cult."

In October 2024, the WNBPA announced its players would opt out of their current CBA, calling it a "defining moment ... for all of us who believe in progress."

"The world has evolved since 2020, and we cannot afford to stand still. If we stay in the current agreement, we fall behind," Ogwumike said in a statement.

"Opting out isn't just about bigger paychecks — it's about claiming our rightful share of the business we've built, improving working conditions, and securing a future where the success we create benefits today's players and the generations to come," she concluded.