WNBA player Angel Reese set the firestorm on social media after claiming that players were ready to sit down to demand a higher salary during Friday's podcast.
Reese and fellow WNBA player Dehonai Carrington worked on the next WNBA collective bargaining agreement.
“I have to attend meetings because I hear, 'If we don't give us what we want, we're sitting there,'” Reese said.
“That's a possibility,” Carrington added.
For sports coverage on foxnews.com, click here
Rose's Angel Reese will respond to the first quarter of his match with the Phantom at Wayfair Arena on January 31, 2025 in Medley, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Lease has previously gripped her financial situation.
“The WNBA doesn't pay my bills at all. I don't think I'll pay one of my bills. Literally,” Lease said.
Reese's comments sparked a heated social media debate over WNBA players' strikes, resulting in a higher salary. The WNBA has never made a profit in its existence and is subsidized by the NBA.
The first half of the match against the Las Vegas Ace at Chicago Sky Forward Angel Lee Swin Trastore Arina. (Kamil Krzaczynski/USA Today Sports)
Lease joined the debate when he called out a conservative influencer on X for a post that said he incorrectly claimed that Lease had requested that he pay as much as an NBA player.
“I didn't say anything about the NBA. We're ready to stay at the negotiation table as long as it's necessary,” Reese said.
Nike unveils Kate Linklerk Billboard in the city where Angel Reese team is based, inciting ock laughs from fans
The original AKA post has since been deleted.
Lease signed a four-year, $324,383 rookie contract ahead of his first WNBA season in 2024. She earned under $75,000 in her first year, less than she did in 2025.
Click here to get the Fox News app
In October, Lease admitted that he couldn't afford to pay his bills based on his salary on live Instagram video.
“I live beyond my means. People who don't like them pay their bills. Babies. I hope they know that the WNBA won't pay my bills at all,” she said. “I don't think it's going to pay one of my bills. I'm literally trying to figure out where I'm staying for my rent. Let me do maths right away. I don't even know my (WNBA) salary, $74,000?”
Indiana Fever's Kate Linklark and Chicago Sky's Angel Reese were playing on June 1, 2024 at Gainbridge Field House in Indianapolis. (Jeff Haynes/nbae via Getty Images)
Lease said she is paying $8,000 for the rent.
“Baby, if you think about it… that wnba check doesn't pay anything,” she added. “Did you even pay my car note? …I can't even eat sandwiches with it. I can't even eat. I can't live.”
WNBA Players Union opted out of its current collective bargaining agreement in October, two years before its expiration date.
The current CBA covers the 2025 season, so both sides have a year to negotiate a new agreement.
Follow Fox News Digital's Sports Coverage on X and subscribe to Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.
Albanian
Croatian
Dutch
English
French
German
Italian
Macedonian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish