(INDIANAPOLIS) — The players at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game delivered a very public, black and white message on the court Saturday: “Pay Us What You Owe Us.”
After the national anthem, all the players from both teams revealed they were sporting black T-shirts for the pre-game warmups with white script that stated their collective message.
WNBA players put equal pay in the spotlight at 2025 All-Star Game
Fans inside the sold-out Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis chanted in support of the equal pay messaging throughout the evening.
Some of the loudest calls from the crowd to “pay them” that echoed through the arena came when WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert awarded Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier the MVP trophy.
“The fans making that chant, that gave me chills,” Collier told ESPN.
The now-viral shirt, which has a Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association logo underneath the text for the players’ union, is officially available through a link on the WNBAPA’s Instagram.
Under the backdrop of the All-Star Game and its concurrent festivities, 40 players attended meetings with the league and the players association to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, ESPN first reported.
Per ESPN, “The players didn’t think the meeting produced enough progress with a late October deadline looming.”
With more than 4 million viewers watching the All-Star Game nationwide, according to The Athletic, the players were able to shine a bright spotlight on their off-court efforts to try to earn higher salaries with more revenue entitlements.
Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum told ESPN the crowd’s support “was a powerful moment.”
“As players, we didn’t know that was going to happen. 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,” Plum said.
The WNBA stars are not the first female athletes to fight for fair wages.
Tennis legend Billie Jean King, a trailblazer for equal rights in women’s sports, told “Good Morning America” previously that when she and the “original nine” made history in 1970, signing $1 contracts at the Houston Racquet Club, the moment was for female leadership for years to come.
“We fought for equality,” she said. “Women’s tennis is the leader in women’s sports on and off the court. And players today have to realize it came from that moment when we were willing to give up our careers.”
Progress has been made in the year’s since, with now-retired soccer stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe leading the U.S. Women’s National Team to a landmark equal pay agreement in 2022, following a three-year legal battle over gender discrimination.
(NEW YORK) — Amanda Anisimova had the best Grand Slam finish of her career at The Wimbledon Championships, and though she fell short to Iga Świątek in the final, the American tennis star is taking away some unmatched memories and lessons for her next major of the season.
Amanda Anisimova opens up on Wimbledon finish, champagne interruptions
“It was such a remarkable experience for me, and making it to the first Grand Slam final and it being at Wimbledon was a surreal feeling,” the 23-year-old said in a new interview with “Good Morning America.”
“Even though it didn’t go the way I would have wanted it to go, my opponent obviously was was playing some great tennis, and I’ve had to compete against so many incredible athletes throughout the entire fortnight,” she continued.
Despite her runner-up finish, Anisimova has since jumped up the WTA rankings, breaking into the top 10 for the first time at No. 7.
“It feels so surreal to be ranked [No.] 7 right now — it’s my career high and what a quick turnaround for me,” she told “GMA.”
Anisimova added that there were larger takeaways, like having her family present and “getting to experience that moment with me,” which she called “incredibly special.”
“Getting to meet Kate Middleton after the final at the ceremony, there were so many special moments and so many other things that I can take away apart from the performance in itself,” she added.
The New Jersey native took a hiatus from the professional circuit in May 2023 until January 2024 to focus on her mental health and said that “it’s been quite the journey coming back.”
“The most important thing for me since coming back has honestly been doing everything on my own terms and just enjoying the moment,” she said. “And that’s what I told myself coming out into Wimbledon. I was just incredibly excited to just be playing in the main draw, because I didn’t make it last year.”
Anisimova made history as the youngest American woman singles player to advance to the Wimbledon finals — after defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka — since Serena Williams.
“Getting to play on on Centre Court and winning against the most incredible athlete in tennis right now was super special to me and just an exhilarating feeling,” she said. “It’ll last me a lifetime of memories for sure.”
The iconic All England Lawn Tennis venue brought with it some very posh quirks, including champagne bottles popping mid-match that prompted officials to silence spectators.
“That was like the 15th time, so I think that my reaction was valid — it was just a reminder of where I was,” Anisimova recalled. “It felt very English — but it was a funny experience for sure. And then after the match, I was able to laugh about it afterwards, of course.”
Amanda Anisimova has high hopes to ‘go far’ at US Open
With the final major of the season just over a month out, Anisimova said she’s excited to return to Queens and get on the courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
“The U.S. Open is my favorite tournament by far. It’s always super exciting to be playing there, and I’m sure I’ll have the whole home crowd cheering for me over there,” she said. “Again, all of my family is going to come and support me — I am sure it’s going to be a great tournament. And hopefully I can go far again.”
Sabalenka is the current defending women’s singles U.S. Open champion.
Anisimova has competed five times in the main draw. Her best U.S. Open finish was reaching the third round in 2020.