Harrison Barnes Receives An All-Time Ricochet Shot From Skylar Diggins

[Wealthsimple] - I’m the highest paid player on the Dallas Wings, and my salary is in the low six figures. [Harrison Barnes, the highest paid player on the Dallas Mavericks, made $24 million last season.] He’s definitely younger than me. Do you know his stats? Was he an All-Star? I mean, it doesn’t matter. But last year, I was First Team All-WNBA, which only goes to five players. I was also a WNBA All-Star for the third time.

So this was a quote from Skylar Diggins in talking about a higher salary for the WNBA. How about this ricochet shot though? Imagine you’re Harrison Barnes and just minding your own business and then this shows up everywhere. Also, why Harrison Barnes? Why not an actual terrible contract instead? Harrison Barnes is at least a decent player.

Now, I want to preface this with a blog that Kayce, a real life woman who woks for Barstool Sports, wrote. It was in reference to the WNBA speaking out about LeBron’s contract. Here’s what Kayce had to say:

So since they can’t say it, I will. Anyone who thinks this is a gender inequality issue is an idiot. And this whole “if you don’t like women’s sports as much as men’s, then you’re sexist” thing is straight up bullshit.

Men’s basketball is wildly more entertaining. And this is coming from a girl who played basketball, coached basketball and covered basketball. Numbers don’t lie.

It’s not sexist to say that the NBA is more entertaining than the WNBA. It’s not sexist to say that the NBA should 1000% pay their athletes better than the WNBA pays theirs. It’s not sexist to say one of the only reasons the WNBA exists is because the NBA carries it like Lebron carried the Cavs last season.

I wish I could just copy and paste Kayce’s blog into this one. Yes, Skylar Diggins is a damn good basketball player. Yes, she’s one of the 5 best players in the WNBA. Yes, you likely know her name, even if you don’t watch the WNBA. But, to compare contracts to the NBA is absolutely asinine.

The NBA is bringing in a whole ton more money than the WNBA. Harrison Barnes is part of the NBA. It’s just as simple as that. Until the WNBA can bring in more money and all the credit to the WNBA – its doing a much better job at getting games on TV and staying in the news and being covered, it’s not the NBA. It’s not comparing apples to apples.

So instead of taking a shot at Harrison Barnes or comparing salaries, Diggins should be demanding more than the WNBA. Look at the percentage she makes of salary cap compared to LeBron/Durant/Davis, any top-5 player in the NBA. That would be the better way to do it. Force the WNBA to pay better, not comparing it to the NBA. That’s what they should be trying to fight. Stop comparing WNBA to the NBA.

Poor Harrison Barnes. Leaves the Warriors, gets paid and just somehow ends up on the wrong side of shots – between this and ‘could you score a bucket against Harrison Barnes?’