The WNBA and its gamers’ union seem unlikely to finalize a brand new collective bargaining settlement earlier than the Oct. 31 deadline, elevating the potential of an extension or perhaps a work stoppage for the primary time in league historical past.
An individual acquainted with the negotiations advised Entrance Workplace Sports activities that each side may have to increase the deadline to keep away from a right away disruption. That situation has performed out earlier than — in 2019, the WNBA and the Ladies’s Nationwide Basketball Gamers Affiliation agreed to a 60-day extension earlier than in the end finalizing a brand new CBA in January of the next 12 months.
This time, although, the stakes are considerably increased. The league is in the midst of unprecedented monetary progress, report attendance, and long-term enlargement plans. Lacking the deadline wouldn’t solely stall free company and enlargement procedures however may additionally create a labor standoff that has by no means occurred within the WNBA’s practically three-decade historical past.
Union Sees Lack of Urgency from WNBA
Union leaders have repeatedly stated they’re pushing for what they name a “transformational” deal, with gamers looking for a construction that displays the league’s progress. WNBPA government director Terri Carmichael Jackson stated in a press release that the union believes the league has didn’t match the urgency required.
“The gamers are working diligently to attain a transformational CBA that builds on the expansion, momentum, and optimistic information surrounding ladies’s sports activities and the W,” Jackson stated. “As we strategy the 60-day mark, the league’s lack of urgency leaves gamers questioning whether it is targeted on making this work or simply operating out the clock. Followers don’t need that. They’re with the gamers in demanding a brand new customary for the W.”
The league countered {that a} deal stays its prime precedence and pushed again on the union’s suggestion of inaction. A spokesperson emphasised that the WNBA has been in constant dialogue with the union and intends to maintain negotiating till an settlement is reached.
“We’ve got been clear with the WNBPA however so there is no such thing as a doubt—our primary precedence is to get a brand new collective bargaining settlement accomplished that addresses the gamers’ priorities whereas additionally supporting the long-term progress and success of the league and groups,” a league spokesperson advised FOS, including that further conferences are already scheduled by way of the rest of the season.
Napheesa Collier: “We’re Not Making a Lot of Progress”
Minnesota Lynx ahead Napheesa Collier, who serves as vice chairman on the manager committee of the WNBPA, has been outspoken in regards to the state of negotiations. She stated the gamers really feel the method has stalled with little tangible progress made.
“It feels prefer it’s form of usual, usual. We’re not making numerous progress … it’s unlucky, we clearly wish to get a deal carried out and it feels just like the league doesn’t have that very same urgency and the deadline is shortly approaching,” Collier stated. “I really feel like we’re not shut proper now.”
Collier has additionally emphasised the broader requirements the gamers are looking for, notably round services and day-to-day assets that many franchises nonetheless lack. She praised Unequalled, a brand new ladies’s basketball league, for showcasing the kind of surroundings gamers imagine needs to be customary within the WNBA.
“I believe it’s simply nice that we’re opening up individuals’s eyes to what it needs to be like,” she stated. “For therefore lengthy now we have been pressured to just accept lower than what we needs to be owed. Like everybody ought to have a follow facility, everybody ought to have entry to a fitness center 24/7, everybody ought to have privateness once they’re altering and never in entrance of strangers.”
Napheesa Collier on the CBA discussions
“It feels prefer it’s form of usual, usual, we’re not making numerous progress… it’s unlucky, we clearly wish to get a deal carried out and it feels just like the league doesn’t have that very same urgency and the deadline is shortly… pic.twitter.com/fRuSpiaIae
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) August 26, 2025
Income Sharing at Middle of Dispute
Income sharing is predicted to be the central sticking level. Within the NBA, gamers obtain roughly half of the league’s basketball-related earnings, with the wage cap tied on to income. That construction helped gasoline a ten% cap enhance heading into the 2025–26 season.
The WNBA, in contrast, operates below a hard and fast mannequin that caps annual progress at 3%. That provision was negotiated at a time when the league’s enterprise mannequin was much less secure. Since then, nonetheless, the WNBA has introduced an 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal and picked up report enlargement charges — $250 million apiece from Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.
Gamers say the enterprise progress ought to instantly translate to their compensation and advantages. The league, whereas acknowledging the expansion, has insisted the brand new CBA should steadiness participant calls for with long-term monetary sustainability.
Satou Sabally Criticizes Abroad, Unequalled Restrictions
Phoenix Mercury ahead Satou Sabally, additionally a distinguished union voice, added one other layer to the controversy. She criticized the WNBA for discouraging gamers from competing abroad or in Unequalled, saying these alternatives typically present stronger monetary incentives.
“I wasn’t conscious that they already publicly introduced that. I imply that’s unsuitable,” Sabally advised Desert Storm Media. “I made extra money at Unequalled than any 12 months in my whole WNBA profession.”
Her remarks spotlight the monetary realities many gamers nonetheless face. For years, prime WNBA gamers sought supplemental earnings in abroad leagues, with some making a number of instances their WNBA salaries. The expansion of Unequalled has added a home different, elevating questions on whether or not the WNBA can compete financially.
Phoenix Mercury ahead Satou Sabally stated the WNBA doesn’t need its gamers to play abroad or in Unequalled.
“I wasn’t conscious that they already publicly introduced that. I imply that’s unsuitable. I made extra money at Unequalled than any 12 months in my whole WNBA profession.”#WNBA pic.twitter.com/CMHgNHgUqa
— Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) August 27, 2025
WNBA Enlargement Provides Strain
The urgency is heightened by enlargement. The WNBA is making ready so as to add two new franchises in 2026 — the Toronto Tempo and Portland Hearth — with Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia slated to hitch by 2030. Enlargement drafts and free company guidelines can’t be set till a brand new CBA is in place, making the timing of the settlement essential.
With out a deal, the league dangers disrupting each its offseason calendar and its capability to combine new franchises easily. For gamers, enlargement represents not solely new markets but in addition the potential of much-needed roster progress — one of many key priorities in negotiations.
In 2019, an extension allowed talks to proceed with out a work stoppage. Whereas such a transfer is feasible once more, each side acknowledge the stakes are increased this time. The league has by no means misplaced video games to a lockout or strike, although the 2003 season did see a delayed draft and preseason.
Negotiations at a Crossroads
The gamers have stated they’re ready to stay on the negotiating desk till a deal is secured, irrespective of how lengthy it takes. They imagine the timing — coming at a second of unprecedented visibility and income progress — offers them leverage they didn’t have in previous negotiations.
“Followers don’t need delays or lowered requirements,” Jackson stated. “They’re with the gamers in demanding a brand new customary for the W.”
For Collier, the deadline stress is evident. “The deadline is coming quick,” she stated. “I really feel like we’re not shut proper now.”
