Visualizing the Gap

The NBA and WNBA wage gap explained via professional chess, Major League Soccer, and “Hero Ball”

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Meet Anthony and Natasha.

If you follow basketball (and maybe even if you don’t), you’ve probably heard of him: Anthony Davis is a superstar. He was a first overall pick in the NBA draft in 2012. He’s a seven-time All-Star. And as of 2020, he’s got a ring.

You probably haven’t heard of her, but Natasha Howard is also a superstar. She was 2019’s WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. She was second in the league in blocks. She too played (and dominated) in the 2019 WNBA all-star game. And as of 2020, she’s got a second ring.

In fact, stat for stat, Natasha Howard plays — and dominates her respective league — in an eerily similar way to Anthony Davis. And actually, there are a number of statistical doppelgängers between the two leagues (I generated 30,000 player comparisons; check…