It's been discussed to death in right wing circles that the WNBA hemorrhages money like most of their players do blood once a month, and the NBA essentially props up the league, helping them path players, coaches, support staff, as well as maintance and upkeep of facilities, etc, but why?
It hit me earlier that maybe these stunts like the recent thing with the tshirts are not only permitted, but encouraged by NBA management as a way to play both sides for chumps. Think about it. the players make some big show of demanding "equal pay," the Left stands in solidarity, the Right mocks them brutally, and both the WNBA and NBA rake in increased ticket and merchandise sales.
Feel free to poke holes, though, I could easily be wrong about this.
Imagine being a charity case league that literally never makes money, and then a generational player shows up to double your ratings (and lead you into the black) over night. Except instead of promoting and protecting that player, you let your petty, jealous, racist players and coaches attack and injure her while your refs do nothing to stop it. This is the kind of behavior that can only happen when your product is subsidized. Because that insulates you from free market forces.