Negotiations over WNBA media rights came under fire after the NBA Board of Governors approved an 11-year, $76 billion deal with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime Video.
The WNBA would receive about $200 million annually and $2.2 billion over 11 years, The Associated Press reported Thursday. Its current media deal, valued at about $60 million annually, expires after the 2025 season.
The NBA, which owns 60% of the WNBA, negotiated the new deals.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Head coach Cheryl Miller of the WNBA team speaks to the media on July 19, 2024 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
Cheryl Miller, who will coach the WNBA All-Stars against the U.S. Olympic women's basketball team in Phoenix on Saturday night, previewed the deal while speaking to reporters Friday.
“I'm not very good with numbers. They're very low,” the USC basketball legend said. “That's very low… It's not enough. It's not even close. Now, I'm not trying to inflate it too much, but a two is fine, an eight would be better (in terms of billions of dollars). That's what I'm talking about because they know that.
“We've definitely come a long way. I don't want to rip you off, but it's long overdue and we're going to keep getting better and better. And all you have to do is look at college basketball and see what's next.”
He was asked what the league should do to get a better deal.
Natasha Cloud, left, and Sophie Cunningham, left, of the Phoenix Mercury and head coach Cheryl Miller of the WNBA team pose for a photo on July 19, 2024, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Tyler Kaufman/NBAE via Getty Images)
ANGEL REESE JOKES THAT SHE CAN GET ALONG WITH CAITLIN CLARK FOR 'ONE DAY' AS THEY TEAM UP ON THE ALL-STAR TEAM
“We need tough and fair and visionary negotiators,” Miller said. “And we need a bully. We need a bully behind the table who is willing to say we'll break up the pieces and go from there. But there's a certain number we want to be greater than two.”
Terri Jackson, executive director of the WNBA players' union, also expressed concerns about the deal.
“We've wondered for months how the NBA would value the WNBA in its broadcast rights deal,” Jackson said in a statement. “With a $75 billion deal on the table, the league is in control of its own destiny. More precisely, the NBA controls the destiny of the WNBA.
Terri Jackson, executive director of the Women's National Basketball Players Association, speaks at a news conference in Chicago on July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, file)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“We're eager to learn how the NBA arrived at a $200 million valuation, whether the initial reports are accurate or even close to that figure. Neither the NBA nor the WNBA can deny that over the past several years, we've seen unprecedented growth across all metrics. The players continue to demonstrate their commitment to building the brand and… the fans continue to show up. There's no excuse to undervalue the WNBA again.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital Sports coverage on X and subscribe to The Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
