Ex-Buckeye Hill values playing over paycheck
Tayler Hill always has been aggressive on the basketball court, a free-shooting hard-charger who probably drives a hard line, too, when it comes to contract talks. So maybe it’s best that her WNBA team, the Washington Mystics, doesn’t know her little secret.
“It’s not about the money,” the former Ohio State star said as she prepared to embark this weekend on her fourth full season in the league. “If anybody is playing it just for the money then they really don’t love the sport, because you can be injured any day in any sport and be out for the rest of your life. For us, as women, we actually love the game of basketball and it’s just a plus that we’re getting paid.”
Not that the salary structure in the WNBA should be confused with that of the NBA. Hill gave no details of her current deal, but veterans with her experience will make a minimum of $55,825 for the upcoming 32-game regular season and a maximum of $115,500, not counting bonuses, road per diem and the like.
That’s why many WNBA regulars, Hill included, play a second full season overseas in Europe or, in her case Israel, where they can double, and sometimes triple, their income. For example, another former Buckeye, Jantel Lavender of the reigning WNBA champion Los Angeles Sparks, is still playing for Fenerbahce of Istanbul, Turkey, in the Euro League finals, even as her WNBA opener looms Saturday.
The fifth overall pick in the 2011 draft, Lavender was named the Sixth Woman of the Year for her vital role in last season’s title run, and she has a loyalty to the Sparks that she showed in re-signing with them earlier this year.
“After winning a championship last season, something I think this team has worked really hard for the whole six seasons I played, it’s only right that I stay to try to continue to add on to the legacy this organization already has,” Lavender said at the time. “LA is home for me, so coming back was a no-brainer. The fans are amazing and I don’t think there are any other fans in the league that are as loyal as they are. I want to see their faces for as long as I possibly can.”
The WNBA has provided a chance to extend playing careers for several other OSU or local products, including Shayla Cooper, a rookie drafted out of OSU this year by Connecticut before being cut and landing with Chicago; Alexis Peterson, a rookie with Seattle from Northland High School by way of Syracuse; and former OSU and WNBA star Katie Smith, who is now the associate head coach of New York.
What matters for all, Hill indicated, is the sense of vibrancy with the WNBA, headed into its 21st season, Of course, for her it also is heightened by her rise to full-time starter last year and the fact her team is considered a major contender this year with the addition of all-star Elena Delle Donne.
“The WNBA is up and coming, for sure, when it comes to fan support and people recognizing the game,” Hill said. “Every year it becomes bigger and bigger. I think this will be another exciting year, more fan support, more talk about it.”