“Loses money every single year” — Ben Shapiro reacts to WNBA players wearing T-shirts reading “Pay Us What You Owe Us” during court warmups

American conservative political commentator and media host Ben Shapiro recently reacted to WNBA players making a bold statement to the league about their pay. According to CNBC, players on Team Clark and Team Collier warmed up for Saturday night’s All-Star Game wearing black T-shirts that said, “Pay Us What You Owe Us."

On Monday, July 21, 2025, the 41-year-old commentator went on his YouTube channel to share his opinion on both sides of the All-Star game, calling for payment. In his video, Ben Shapiro discussed how fellow political commentator and podcast host Matt Walsh made a “zero” pay claim.

“Brave move to call for a zero pay. But you could make a credible case, really, seriously, you can make a credible case that the ladies ought to be paid a little bit more. The credible case is basically that the collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and NBA players means NBA players pull down about half of the gross revenue of the league.”

Making a comparison between the NBA and the Women's National Basketball Association, Ben Shapiro added:

“In the WNBA, the players pulled down about 9% of the gross revenue of the league. Now, the other side of that argument is the WNBA makes zero money and loses money every single year, all the time.”

According to CNBC, the decision to wear the “Pay Us What You Owe Us” T-shirts follows the players and the league's failure to reach a new collective bargaining agreement during an in-person meeting on Thursday.

While the league’s players chose to opt out of their last CBA in October, reports indicate they are seeking a better revenue-sharing model, improved benefits, higher salaries, and a more flexible salary cap. Notably, the news outlet reports that the players decided to showcase their wage demands at a players' meeting on Saturday morning.

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Ben Shapiro calls out the WNBA for showing “disdain” towards Caitlin Clark

Ben Shapiro, in his video, also discussed how American comedian and actor Shane Gillis pointed out that there are “no stars” in the league outside of Caitlin Clark. The 23-year-old basketball star plays for the Indiana Fever team.

Talking about Caitlin Clark, Ben Shapiro said:

“Legitimately, the only person in the WNBA who's driving ratings is Caitlyn Clark… Forget about the equal pay argument, or pay us what we're worth. You're worth what the market will pay you. If you think that you are irreplaceable in the WNBA, you got another thing coming. They could bring in all the scrubs tomorrow for every player except for Caitlyn Clark, and no one would notice.”

The political commentator claimed that Clark is “famous” and can’t be replaced, even if every other player in the league is. He also criticized the stereotypes and “zero-sum mentality” in the league toward Caitlin Clark.

“The utter cattiness with which all the WNBA players treat Caitlyn Clark, who is legitimately their meal ticket. The only reason anyone cares about the WNBA is because Caitlyn Clark is in it. And the just disdain they all have for Caitlyn Clark is astonishing… Everybody is pi**ed in the WNBA at the fact that Caitlyn Clark is famous and is making them all richer.”

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According to The Guardian, the failed negotiations between the players and the league resulted from a large gap between what the players wanted and what the league was offering. If a new CBA isn’t reached by October, The Guardian states that some players, including All-Stars Napheesa Collier and Angel Reese, might walk out.

Edited by Shreya Das