Former Seattle Storm star Gabby Williams has left the WNBA following controversial comments she made about Caitlin Clark and salaries in women’s basketball.
Williams has now moved overseas to play in Europe after Seattle was eliminated by the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA playoffs.
The 28-year-old power forward, selected in the first round of the 2018 draft by the Chicago Sky, has joined Fenerbahce in Türkiye.
It comes just days after Williams attacked WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert over comments she made about the earning potential of the league’s players.
Engelbert previously claimed that WNBA players can earn up to $700,000 a year, but Williams recently insisted: “That’s actually not true at all.” “There’s not a single player who does that.”
Former Seattle Storm star Gabby Williams left WNBA to join Fenerbahce in Türkiye
It comes just days after the power forward influenced Caitlin Clark’s earning power.
He added: “They promised us marketing agreements for the team and marketing agreements for the league, but they have fallen quite short.”
“So for us international players, it is still not enough for us to want to stay here. And that is a choice for the players.
“If I make the decision to make more money, whatever, and then the teams get mad because I don’t come back, but that’s what it is.”
A Clark fan later noted that the Indiana Fever star’s earnings had surpassed $700,000 during his rookie season.
That’s despite the fact that her base salary in the WNBA is only $76,000.
Williams responded to the fan on social media, insisting she was referring only to pay from the WNBA, not money earned through endorsements and other outside deals..
“Clark makes $70,000 in the WNBA,” Williams said. “So I know all these Caitlin Clark fans are saying, ‘Caitlin Clark makes $700,000.’
“That’s unsupported… to everyone who says ‘leave the country if you’re not happy in America,’ I did.”
The forward averaged 10.3 points, four rebounds and 3.7 assists during the 2024 WNBA regular season before deciding to head to Türkiye.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert stated that WNBA players can earn up to $700,000 a year