"It's ridiculous": Michelle Obama rips WNBA's treatment of legends like Candace Parker while discussing pay dispute

The WNBA players’ standoff with the league regarding the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) has caught the attention of former First Lady Michelle Obama. On Thursday, she, along with her brother Craig Robinson, joined the “All The Smoke” podcast to share her thoughts on diverse issues, including women’s basketball.

Obama, married to a former US president who loves basketball, opened up a little about the growth of the WNBA and the players’ clamor for pay parity.

(53:50 mark)

“They’ve come a long way. Things have changed. … But we just had a great conversation with Candace Parker, and to be reminded of how hard things were. … She was and is one of the greats. The fact that she will not experience the fruits of her outstanding athletic ability is sad. Why? Because she’s a woman. It’s ridiculous.”

Michell Obama narrated how players like Parker had to go overseas for more lucrative contracts. She continued that sometimes, players back then had very little rest after playing at home and abroad.

The lawyer added that women athletes, not just in the WNBA, have always needed “to jump through so many hurdles” to get pay parity. The Chicago South Side native added that it’s the same story across different sports, prompting her to echo the same call by the women's basketball players.

Michelle Obama’s comments came after co-host Matt Barnes mentioned the disparity in revenue sharing in the NBA and the WNBA. According to Kelsey Plum, who Barnes talked to before meeting with Obama, the NBA players and owners share 49-51% of revenue. Meanwhile, the WNBA players got 9.3% of the revenue.

In the last talk between players and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, the players were so frustrated that they appeared before the All-Star game with a message. The best players in women’s basketball wore “Pay Us What You Owe Us” T-shirts, a call the fans strongly supported. After the game, fans shouted “Pay Them” while Engelbert handed the trophy.

Michelle Obama hopes the league will listen to the players.

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Michelle Obama’s brother opens up about playing with Michael Jordan

As Chicago natives, Michelle Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson, inevitably had to answer questions about Michael Jordan. Robinson, a former basketball coach, opened up about his experience going up against the Bulls legend:

(49:30 mark)

“Once [Jordan] retired, he needed some guys to quietly start working out with. … We would do workouts with him, and that’s when he cooked me. And I mean, cooked me! He was very serious about what he was doing.”

Robinson added that it was a treat sharing the court with a player considered by many to be the greatest of all time.