Former Portuguese basketball star Ticha Penicheiro has highlighted the stark financial disparities and evolving player benefits in women’s professional leagues, contrasting the WNBA’s persistent challenges with the lavish era she experienced under an eccentric, assassinated ex-KGB owner in Russia.
Penicheiro, a WNBA pioneer and FIBA Hall of Famer, spent three years playing for Spartak Moscow, whose owner, Shabtai Kalmanovic, was a former KGB spy and multimillionaire. Kalmanovic, described by Penicheiro as “crazy in a good way,” invested heavily in women’s basketball from his personal funds and was later assassinated.
Conditions at Spartak Moscow during Penicheiro’s tenure were “ridiculous” compared to the WNBA, she told a Portuguese weekly. Players stayed in five-star hotels, did not share rooms, and received bonuses for every victory.
Kalmanovic often offered unique incentives, Penicheiro recalled. Sometimes, he would arrive at practice, place $1,000 in $100 bills in the middle of the court, and award the money to whoever scored. He exclusively used U.S. dollars in $100 denominations.
This opulent environment stands in sharp contrast to the financial struggles and lack of long-term benefits Penicheiro faced in the WNBA. After 15 years in the league, she receives “zero” in pension, a benefit commonly afforded to male NBA players.
Penicheiro acknowledged progress in the WNBA, noting that pregnant players can no longer be cut from rosters, and some medical and social security benefits have improved. However, she emphasized that “many more steps” are still needed to achieve full equity.
She recounted a career of 15 years playing both the European and WNBA seasons without vacations, largely due to the WNBA’s historic undervaluation of its players as her career neared its end.
In the early 2000s, while the WNBA season lasted only three months, European leagues often offered year-round pay, with some players earning over $1 million annually. Penicheiro noted that Spartak Moscow’s conditions were exceptional, even compared to other European clubs.
Penicheiro’s remarks were made during an interview coinciding with the premiere of ‘Feel the Magic: Ticha Penicheiro Against All Odds,’ a documentary by André Braz. The film debuted at a historic venue in Lisbon during the Tribeca Festival’s Lisbon edition.