
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 29, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) huddles with her team during the second half against the Dallas Wings during game three of the 2023 WNBA Playoffs at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

USA Today via Reuters
Sep 29, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) huddles with her team during the second half against the Dallas Wings during game three of the 2023 WNBA Playoffs at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Even though the WNBA is the women?s counterpart of the NBA, the female players aren?t compensated as much as the male players. Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum have raised concerns about this issue, sparking a lot of discussion. The central argument that goes against the WNBA is that the basketball used is smaller than that used by the NBA players and also the three-pointer line is closer to the NCAA men?s three-pointer line than being closer to the NBA three-pointer line. In addition to the ball and the rules, the WNBA has been condemned by its critics for having lesser athleticism and speed than the NBA.
Though WNBA has proved its worth time and again, especially when it clocked a record-breaking average 627,000 viewers on ABC, making it the most viewed regular season on ABC in 11 years, critics slammed the league. One such critic is Sports Journalist Clay Travis.
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What did Clay Travis say?
Travis after the completion of the latest season of the WNBA took a dig at the WNBA players especially the back-to-back champions – the Las Vegas Aces. He didn?t mince any words in challenging the WNBA champions to a dual with a good college men?s basketball. He opined that an efficient college team would ?smoke? the best WNBA team. ?Give me a team from New York, New York, Texas, or Florida, I would bet my entire savings in the bank that the boy?s high school team would beat the WNBA team,? opined Travis.
He also went out to list the entire WNBA as a hassle and stated, ?ESPN shoves the WNBA down our throat even though nobody cares.? He also added that the WNBA is not so popular because women don?t care about the sport, and it is actually men who go and watch the WNBA, and ?there aren?t many of them?.
Travis also urged basketball fans to name three WNBA franchises and five WNBA players. ?I am the only person brave enough to say what every sports fan agrees with that the WNBA s**ks and we don?t care about it.?
The comments obviously didn?t go down well with the WNBA fans as well as the Las Vegas Aces? star Chelsea Gray.
Gray took the moment to reshare the video shared by Hoop Herald on Wednesday on the social media platform X and called Travis ?dumbass?.
Dumbass https://t.co/2hj3KYRAr5
— Chelsea Gray (@cgray209) October 26, 2023
Travis took it to another level by betting $1 million if a 2024 state champions boy?s team of his choice lost against the reigning WNBA champions. As per the deal, he would recede a million dollars if the men?s team lost and look to gain the same amount if the WNBA champions lost. ?You guys win, you get a million bucks of my money, my team wins, you all pay me a million and I give it all to the boy?s high school team. You in??, tweeted Travis.
Travis reiterated the same in the comments section and also instigated Gray to participate in the game with her team by taking a subtle dig at them. ?This, btw, would probably be the most watched WNBA game of all time,? quipped Travis.
I’ll put a million dollars on the line, your WNBA champion team against a 2024 high school boy’s state champion team of my choice. You guys win, you get a million bucks of my money, my team wins, you all pay me a million and I give it all to the boy’s high school team. You in? https://t.co/mYheqnZJLz
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 27, 2023
The internet users seemed to be divided on Travis?s opinions. While some of them stated the surpassing ability of male athletes, others were quick to point out the superiority of the WNBA teams.
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What’re the Aces up to?
Meanwhile, the WNBA concluded with the Las Vegas Aces upending the New York Liberty by a decent margin of 3-1. The Aces also took out their victory march with their captain A?ja Wilson holding the trophy and star Kelsey Plum lighting the victory cigar. But will the Aces compete with a state men?s basketball team?

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Oct 23, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Las Vegas Aces guard Sydney Colson (51) interacts with fans during the Las Vegas Aces championship parade at Toshiba Plaza. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports
There has been no news of the match bearing fruition till now and it only remains to be seen if the Aces will go ahead with the contest.
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Watch This Story: Pain-Stricken Chelsea Gray Discloses Regrets After WNBA Finals Game 3 Exit Leaving Aces in a Muddle: “It S**ks”
Perhaps, the WNBA championship title would have satisfied their competitive spirit for now, and they would most likely ignore an irked Travis? remarks.
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