FANS have ripped WNBA icon Diana Taurasi after comparing her salary to what arena janitors earn.
Social media reacted to Taurasi’s comments about her pay on a recent documentary.
WNBA legend Diana Taurasi played her whole 20-year career with the Phoenix Mercury[/caption]
Prime Video released a preview of a documentary on Taurasi.
The doc shows how the now-retired 43-year-old WNBA legend became one of the best female basketball players of all time.
But during a sequence, Taurasi spoke about her time playing professional basketball in Russia and Turkey during the prime of her career.
“We weren’t making that much money, so generational wealth was coming from going to Russia every year. Now we have to come back home and get paid nothing to play in a harder league in worse conditions against the best competition in the world,” she said.
“The f***ing janitor in the arena made more than me.”
Fans weren’t pleased with the janitor comment from Taurasi.
It’s worth noting that Taurasi’s final annual salary with the Phoenix Mercury was $234,000, as fans made sure to question her grievance over her WNBA paycheck.
“”…the f***ing janitor…” What an entitled s***head,” one wrote.
“At no point did the janitor make more than Diana Taurasi, why does she does she have to disrespect that person?” another asked.
“Her salary was $234k, not including Nike and BodyArmor endorsements. The Janitor does not make what she makes,” a third said.
“Just an awful look,” a fourth added.
Taurasi wasn’t the only big WNBA star to take her talents overseas during her domestic offseason.
Brittney Griner also played overseas, but she was detained in a Russian prison in 2022.
Taurasi earned $115,000 for four seasons before eventually earning almost a quarter of a million dollars annually.
Taurasi poses with former Mercury teammate and wife Penny Taylor with the Mercury’s three WNBA trophies[/caption]
She has made around $1.4 million from contracts with the Mercury for her whole 20-year career.
Taurasi retired in February 2025.
She is a three-time NCAA champion from her time with the UConn Huskies.
Taurasi won three WNBA titles, earned six Olympic gold medals, was a six-time Euroleague champion, and received a WNBA MVP.
The documentary will be fully released on Thursday, August 7.
