PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 15: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets looks on against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on January 15, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Kyrie Irving is putting his money where his mouth is, starting a fund for WNBA players who are sitting out rather than risking their health.
Brooklyn Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving is lending a helping hand to those WNBA players who have decided not to play in 2020 due to COVID-19. He is committing $1.5 million to WNBA players who will not play this season due to personal, professional, health, or safety-related reasons. Those who are eligible will also be provided with a financial literacy program.
In order to be eligible, players must give additional information on their decision not to play. They also may not be receiving support from another organization.
Nets’ Kyrie Irving has started a $1.5 million fund for WNBA players who choose to sit out the 2020 WNBA season due to personal, professional, health, and/or safety-related reasons.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 27, 2020
Irving said that after talking to WNBA players Natasha Cloud and Jewell Loyd, he learned more about the financial challenges that players who decide to sit out could face without a consistent paycheck.
Kyrie Irving will aid WNBA players opting out of the 2020 season.
14 players in total have decided to opt-out of the 2020 WNBA season with many citing health or personal reasons in their decision. Three of those players, Renee Montgomery, Tiffany Hayes, and Natasha Cloud, cited advocacy as the main factor in their decision. It’s unclear whether Irving’s commitment will help those players out.
In a league whose salaries aren’t even comparable to those of the NBA’s, Irving’s commitment could go a long way. The average salary in the WNBA is just under $120,000, wherein the NBA it’s $7.7 million.
The WNBA season began this Saturday on the IMG Academy campus in Bradenton, Florida, where all of the games will be played this season.
Irving himself is not with the Nets in Orlando, as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery.