Kyrie Irving starts $1.5m fund to cover salaries of WNBA players who will skip the season

As multiple WNBA players opt out of the 2020 season, Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has committed $1.5 million to players who will lose their official pay. Per the league's rules, players cleared by a panel of doctors to sit out the season due to a high-risk factor will receive their entire pay. However, players opting out due to any other reason will not be compensated by the league. 

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Kyrie Irving donation: Irving pledges $1.5 million for WNBA salaries of players opting out of 2020 season

Nets’ Kyrie Irving has started a $1.5 million fund for WNBA players who choose to sit out the 2020 WNBA season due to personal, professional, health, and/or safety-related reasons.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania)

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WNBA opt out: Kyrie Irving to pledge $1.5 million for WNBA salaries being cut 

In his statement, Irving pledged to help any person who has decided to opt out to "fight for social justice, play basketball, focus on physical or mental health, or simply connect with their families". Irving emphasised that this is an initiative aimed at supporting their priorities and decisions. Per reports, payments will be distributed via KAI Empowerment Initiative, which was launched by Irving this Monday. If a player opts out, she must explain her reason behind doing so to receive the funds. Medical opt-outs have to be related to the virus, while there should be no other institution helping them financially. 

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Kyrie Irving WNBA: How will the Kyrie Irving donation help the WNBA opt out?

The WNBA season, delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, finally kicked off last weekend. However, multiple players opted out of the season over COVID-19 and social justice concerns. As per the Associated Press, the 28-year-old Nets star spoke to Natasha Cloud, who is among the WNBA players sitting out the season. Irving reportedly also spoke to Jewell Lloyd, who connected him to other WNBA players so they could discuss the problems about deciding whether to play or not. 

Earlier this month, reigning MVP Elena Delle Donne's request to opt out was denied by the league. The Washington Mystics star has chronic Lyme Disease, which puts her at high risk to develop complications if she is diagnosed with COVID-19. However, the disease is not under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) list of conditions that heighten someone's COVID-19 risk. Players like Cloud will be sitting out for social justice reasons. The league has also dedicated the remaining season to social justice and fighting racism, as all players chose to wear Breonna Taylor's name on the back of their jerseys for the opening weekend. Irving's donation could help players financially over the year, as the average WNBA salary is around $200,000. 

Irving is among NBA players who have been advocating social reform since before teams started moving to the Orlando bubble. Irving believes it is more important for players to use their platform for activism. The Nets guard is not with his team at the bubble as he is currently recovering from shoulder surgery. 

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(Image source: AP, WNBA official site)