Fans have noticed WNBA stars making a bold statement on and off the court with striking ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us’ T-shirts. What sparked this movement, and what are players demanding from the league? Discover the real story behind the protest that’s igniting conversations about equality and fair pay in women’s sports.

The best of the WNBA stood in unity before the league’s biggest exhibition game of the year, making a prominent statement amid contract negotiations.

While warming up for the WNBA All-Star Game on July 19, players on both Team Collier and Team Clark sported shirts that read “Pay Us What You Owe Us.”

The act of solidarity comes as the players’ union and the WNBA remain far apart in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement after a meeting July 17, the Associated Press reported. After opting out of their current CBA last October, the players are seeking increased salaries, better revenue sharing and improved benefits.

“We get a very tiny percentage of all the money that’s made through the WNBA, which obviously is made through the entertainment we provide,” Napheesa Collier told AP. “So we want a fair and reasonable percentage of that.”

The plan to wear the shirts was born early July 19 at a players meeting before the game that night, AP reported.

Notable All-Stars who repped the statement shirt include Collier, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Aliyah Boston, Paige Bueckers, Sabrina Ionescu and more.

During the matchup, some fans held signs reading “Pay the players.” After the game, which saw Team Collier beat Team Clark, 151-131, the crowd began chanting, “Pay them,” per videos shared to social media.

As contract negotiations continue, the WNBA has announced the league is expanding, with plans to add three more teams over the next five years. The additions will bring the WNBA to a total of 18 teams, the most the league has seen.

According to a release, a team in Cleveland is set to begin play in 2028, while a Detroit team will begin in 2029. A team in Philadelphia will be added in 2030.

“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in the release.

Speaking with AP, Engelbert called the July 17 meeting a “constructive dialogue.”

“I think, you know, obviously part of the process is to go back and forth and, listen to the players, they listen to us and the owners who represent the board of governors,” Engelbert said. “I still feel really optimistic that we can get something transformational done by the end. But it’s a process.”