Alanna Smith ...Why Waste Your Time Playing for Peanuts in the WNBA

[becoolpt55]

https://gostanford.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=15137

Doesn't make any sense for her ...even drafted in the first round waste her time playing for
next to nothing...finish your degree at Stanford...instead, and get a good paying job

 

[Norcal_Fan]

The more I think of it, the more I think it's a good move for kids. What I'm saying is so they make 30-100K for playing a few months in the WNBA. If they're good enough they can make a lot more money playing overseas. Think about it. the chance to live in another country, have free rent, a car, and stands full of people watching your games AND getting paid? Sounds good to me. Smith can always come back and finish her degree. You only have a limited window to play athletics at a high level.

IT's not WNBA money, but if you can make 6 figures playing hoops??

 

[ClayK]

So Alanna Smith is Australian, which makes her count as a non-American in overseas basketball. That increases her salary, so she can make at least $150,000 this year and eventually up to $250,000 to $300,000 a year in Europe.

Her WNBA salary will be $50,000 for four years, and then can rise up to $90,000.

If she has a ten-year career, calling her average WNBA salary $75,000 and her average European salary (conservatively) $200,000, she will make $2.75 million before she turns 32.

And she will earn that money playing basketball instead of sitting behind a desk.

And then, at 32, having presumably complete her Stanford degree, she can either get a "real" job or go into basketball coaching/administration/media.

 

[Azanna]

So Alanna Smith is Australian, which makes her count as a non-American in overseas basketball. That increases her salary, so she can make at least $150,000 this year and eventually up to $250,000 to $300,000 a year in Europe.

Her WNBA salary will be $50,000 for four years, and then can rise up to $90,000.

If she has a ten-year career, calling her average WNBA salary $75,000 and her average European salary (conservatively) $200,000, she will make $2.75 million before she turns 32.

And she will earn that money playing basketball instead of sitting behind a desk.

And then, at 32, having presumably complete her Stanford degree, she can either get a "real" job or go into basketball coaching/administration/media.

https://gostanford.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=15137

Doesn't make any sense for her ...even drafted in the first round waste her time playing for
next to nothing...finish your degree at Stanford...instead, and get a good paying job

How about she plays just for the love of the game, for the dream she's had ever since she was a little girl. She's got her entire life to finish up her degree and work but the basketball window is closing.

 

[Willtalk]

I could never figure out why some people seemed to feel that you had to get your degree in one block of time. As many have alluded too, you can play the game and also get your degree if you want when your basketball career is over. Many vets went back to school after their stint in the service and were the better for it. Spending an extended period in academia without a break results in a very narrow perspective.

 

[Norcal_Fan]

I could never figure out why some people seemed to feel that you had to get your degree in one block of time. As many have alluded too, you can play the game and also get your degree if you want when your basketball career is over. Many vets went back to school after their stint in the service and were the better for it. Spending an extended period in academia without a break results in a very narrow perspective.

Not sure if it's an narrow perspective but it certainly is a traditional one. For the average person majoring in a life major (econ, psych, business, engineering) that's going to hopefully pay off or is required to get into a field, then I'd say yes, suck it up and do it. But clearly, she has just as good or even better options given her age and limited span to play hoops.

 

[WivitBear]

Smith is probably only a few weeks from graduation. You want her to abandon that?

 

[ClayK]

Generally universities will make accommodations in these kinds of situations ... it's not like they're going to pull the plug on a person who has brought positive attention to the school and helped one of its signature programs maintain excellence.

 

[WivitBear]

Was referring to dropping out of school with only a few weeks remaining.

 

[ankleassassin]

Was referring to dropping out of school with only a few weeks remaining.

she wouldnt really be dropping out. certainly she has the courses to graduate. as well as student athletes are taken care of in these kinds of situations. She doesnt need to attend a class over the next month or so they will make sure she gets that degree

 

[kiddman32]

My guess is that any class she might need to take to get a Stanford degree would be available for her online.

 

[WivitBear]

I think you are missing the point. Did you skip your college graduation? Her parents may be coming from Australia to see it. It is the last time you will spend time with college friends who aren't associated with basketball. She is probably almost finished with her classes. Stewart just blew her knee out over seas . It can vanish in a hurry.

 

[Norcal_Fan]

I think you are missing the point. Did you skip your college graduation? Her parents may be coming from Australia to see it. It is the last time you will spend time with college friends who aren't associated with basketball. She is probably almost finished with her classes. Stewart just blew her knee out over seas . It can vanish in a hurry.

Stewart just blew out her knee but even if she didn't play another game, she's set finically for life. Its a whole different ballgame for top tier players. She can go into coaching, she can be a TV analyst...you don't need a degree for any of that (well coaching she does). She probably has made a lot of money for playing overseas/wnba as well. Again, you have to strike when the iron is hot in sports...you wait and it could be devastating...

 

[WivitBear]

So it doesn't matter what her parents want. Did Stewart go to her College graduation.

 

[WivitBear]

By the way, the NBA is littered with players who got a fortune and lost it in 5 years. And they made a lot more than Stewart. What evidence do you have that she knows what to do with her money? If you are in college, the least you could do is take some finance classes. But amazing how many don't. You can get some good ones at Stanford and meet some class mates who know how to manage money.

 

[coach_augie]

By the way, the NBA is littered with players who got a fortune and lost it in 5 years. And they made a lot more than Stewart. What evidence do you have that she knows what to do with her money? If you are in college, the least you could do is take some finance classes. But amazing how many don't. You can get some good ones at Stanford and meet some class mates who know how to manage money.

I hate that analogy and it really holds no water. There are millionaires who are business, econ, MBA's that had it all and went broke. Antoine Walker, 110 million over his career and is broke like an artichoke. We're not talking about (originally) about if she'll lose all the money she made, but if from a price perspective, was it a financially good decision to leave early. If she made 1 million dollars in one year, then yes it was worth it. She can easily go back to school and get her degree and hopefully learn how to manage her money.

What evidence do you have that she DOESN'T know what to do with her money?

 

[WivitBear]

I have no evidence. But was answering that she is financially set for life. What evidence do you have she is set for life? And I bet a bigger per centage of athletes lose their money versus MBA's. And she is only weeks from graduating. Why not finish. This isn't the NBA where a male goes out after his first or second year. She is almost there. And you still haven't answered about her parents. Don't they count?

 

[ClayK]

You can always take a day off to come back for graduation -- happens all the time.

Again, Stanford's going to make it work for her. She's elevated their program and will likely generate more positive publicity in the next five years than any MBA grad.

 

[ankleassassin]

First you say she should not leave school so close to graduation. We explained that athletes have already 'graduated' by their senior season so she is taking electives more than likely.
Then you mention walking the ceremony. It has been explained that she can come back to walk if she decided to.
Finally you spoke of what her parents want. I am sure her parents want her to fulfill her childhood dream of playing pro basketball so they will be ok.
You are only hot once in your life. Go secure the bag while you can. She can ALWAYS go and finish that one assignment in her last class to get the diploma.

 

[ankleassassin]

NBA money and WNBA money is not even close to compare. As well as all the other factors that go with NBA players and their money.

 

[coach_augie]

I have no evidence. But was answering that she is financially set for life. What evidence do you have she is set for life? And I bet a bigger per centage of athletes lose their money versus MBA's. And she is only weeks from graduating. Why not finish. This isn't the NBA where a male goes out after his first or second year. She is almost there. And you still haven't answered about her parents. Don't they count?

I would like to think that my voice will count when my two daughters get older! haha If my oldest had the opportunity to play on the WNT (Soccer) and get paid (assuming it was good money), after having a successful career at X-school, I would be totally okay with her leaving early and making a name for herself.

That said, I think Stewey is an adult and can make choices for herself. Parents don't have a say at that age but can definitely have an impact on a young adult's decision.

 

[Willtalk]

All in all, when discussing the elephant in the room, it does seem highly appropriate to bring up the topic of playing for peanuts.

 

[awhom111]

Great news! Everyone's concerns ended up being unfounded. Alanna not only shared pictures of herself physically at her graduation and holding her diploma, but today she just got picked in the Korean league draft for foreigners:
http://www.womensbasketball247.com/2019/06/2019-korean-league-draft/

They have not said anything about whether there have been any recent salary changes, but for many years the rate has been $25,000 a month net. That means that she should get more net (the gross pay is an amount much larger than that so that the final number is the after tax amount) if she sticks for the whole season than the WNBA maximum salary. They also pay for living expenses in a nice apartment and provide a translator plus other perks like flying out a family member or two for part of the season.

Reshanda Gray got picked in the draft as well.

Also ClayK, Australians still count as non-Europeans in league with foreign player restrictions in Europe.

 

[awhom111]

Great news! Everyone's concerns ended up being unfounded. Alanna not only shared pictures of herself physically at her graduation and holding her diploma, but today she just got picked in the Korean league draft for foreigners:
http://www.womensbasketball247.com/2019/06/2019-korean-league-draft/

They have not said anything about whether there have been any recent salary changes, but for many years the rate has been $25,000 a month net. That means that she should get more net (the gross pay is an amount much larger than that so that the final number is the after tax amount) if she sticks for the whole season than the WNBA maximum salary. They also pay for living expenses in a nice apartment and provide a translator plus other perks like flying out a family member or two for part of the season.

Reshanda Gray got picked in the draft as well.

Also ClayK, Australians still count as non-Europeans in league with foreign player restrictions in Europe.

Of course, if you get injured during the WNBA season and can't make it to your foreign gig, that does not help.

To keep this norcalpreps related, she was replaced by Vicki Baugh, who continues to make a decent living playing basketball even if it's nowhere close to the WNBA.

 

[subbfan]

I have no evidence. But was answering that she is financially set for life. What evidence do you have she is set for life? And I bet a bigger per centage of athletes lose their money versus MBA's. And she is only weeks from graduating. Why not finish. This isn't the NBA where a male goes out after his first or second year. She is almost there. And you still haven't answered about her parents. Don't they count?

So a funny story-I just got back from my Stanford 40-year reunion-and at the time of my graduation ceremony I was a candidate for the US Rowing Team. I had to skip the ceremony to attend the tryouts which were in Boston. There is no money and there never was any money in rowing.... (so I had to quickly find a job too). My parents were Cal grads so they were actually relieved that they didn't have to sit thru a Stanford ceremony....and now, 40 years later, after a 10-year post graduation athletic career in rowing followed by cycling (which had lots more support-provided equipment, clothing and travel expenses) I do not regret skipping the ceremony-Stanford mailed me the degree... and none of my recent reunion classmates had any idea that I skipped the ceremony... and as a mom of 3 daughters who are/were collegiate basketball players - I think they just need to do what makes them happy! Just a perspective 40 years later....