Sideline Chatter: King and Queen of Basketball

LeBron James and Sue Bird are more similar than we thought

You know who LeBron James is, even if you know nothing about basketball. He has become a cultural force around the world.

James currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He’s one of the world’s most recognizable athletes and arguably one of the best basketball players ever. He’s won championships for three different NBA teams. His memes regularly go viral on social media. He’s garnered the nickname “King James” because honestly, LeBron is the king of sports right now. 

But every king needs a queen right? Well, that’s not always the case in professional sports. If you don’t know who Sue Bird is, well, you should. But it’s no surprise if you don’t. Bird plays in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) for the Seattle Storm. She’s considered by many as the queen of basketball, and is arguably one of the best female athletes in WNBA history. Counting both her college and professional careers, she’s never lost in a championship round. 

Yet many sports fans hardly recognize her name. The reason is probably because of one key word: female. Unfortunately, professional leagues, fans, and the media pay little attention to female athletes, especially WNBA players. The pay gap between the two leagues—and across all sports – is a topic for another day. But the disparity between the widespread admiration of the NBA’s King and the WNBA’s Queen deserves more attention.

Bird and James have strikingly similar careers, having spent 18 and 17 years in the WNBA and NBA respectively. Both were selected No. 1 overall in their respective drafts and have won several Olympic Gold medals. They each just won their fourth championship a few weeks ago. 

Most importantly, Bird and James have both spearheaded social justice efforts with comparable vigor. Each athlete has shown activism for Black lives, not only during this year of racial reawakening but throughout their careers. They’ve supported the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement through their social media accounts, jersey messages and protests—only enhancing the argument for why they’re two of the sports world’s bests. 

Yet their fame and fortune couldn’t be more opposite. James’s salary for the 2019-20 season was $37,436,858 and he’s still only the sixth highest paid player in the NBA. His net worth is approximately $480 million. He has a $1 billion lifetime deal with Nike and countless other endorsement partnerships with nearly every major company in the country. He also has 48 million followers on Twitter.

Bird, on the other hand, was among the highest paid WNBA players last season. But her salary was based on the new collective bargaining agreement that was reached back in January, which capped the top players’ salaries at $215,000. She earned just that during the 2020 season. 

The WNBA star also has a considerably less presence on social media, with only 137,000 Twitter followers. Her estimated net worth is somewhere between $5 and $8 million. She’s most notably known for being engaged to the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team legend Megan Rapinoe.

Of course the way female athletes play basketball differs from their male counterparts because they’re built differently. The NBA guarantees slam dunks and super speed action. Men tend to be taller with larger vertical leaps. Therefore they can play above the rim and jump for rebounds more often. The WNBA plays slower and lower to the ground, which emphasizes ball movement and passing. Women’s basketball isn’t men’s basketball played by women. It’s a very different game.

The fact Bird and James have nearly identical paths to success shows how much growth can be achieved in the sport of basketball. The disparity between their fame and compensation is a reminder of the world’s perception of the WNBA being seen by the public as being inferior to—not just different from—the NBA. If we can only learn to watch the WNBA without NBA blinders on, we raise the audience for women’s basketball and create equal coverage for each league in the media. We can tell boys and girls that they can be like LeBron James and Sue Bird when they grow up. Maybe then the Kings and Queens of basketball will both enjoy their well-deserved royalty someday.