The WNBA and its players’ association have agreed to extend the league’s current collective bargaining agreement by 30 days, keeping talks alive as negotiations remain tense.
The extension comes with a caveat allowing the players to terminate the agreement with 48 hours’ notice, with both sides pushing to finalize a long-term deal before the 2026 season begins.
Negotiations over the WNBA’s labor contract have been marked by disagreements on player salaries, revenue sharing, and league growth.
While this extension could allow the two sides to come to an agreement, tensions have seemingly been running hotter than ever.
The players’ union is committed to reaching a deal that acknowledges the athletes’ contributions, while the league asserts it has proposed terms that the union has not yet responded to meaningfully.
“While we believed negotiations would be further along, the players are more focused, united, and determined than ever to reach an agreement that reflects their value and undeniable impact on the league,” wrote the WNBPA in a statement, per ESPN.
The league issued its own statement, saying the players’ association “has yet to offer a viable economic proposal and has repeatedly refused to engage in any meaningful way on many of our proposal terms,” according to ESPN.
The WNBA further claims that an uncapped revenue-sharing model that is tied to the league’s performance has been offered to the players’ union, but there has been no progress on that deal.
In response, the union pushed back, claiming the league has “run out the clock, put lipstick on a pig and retread a system that isn’t tied to any part of the business and intentionally undervalues the players.”
“The fact that the league now wants to call any part of its proposal ‘uncapped’ is precisely why its leadership, transparency and accountability are being challenged right now,” continued the statement, as reported by ESPN.
Former NBA star Charles Barkley recently weighed in on the negotiations, warning the players about the stakes and saying that they are “walking on thin ice right now.”
“I know they’re doing some great things, but you can’t overplay your hand…as a league that had Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and a hundred great players, I think we went on strike three times. So, this notion, just because you got power and talent these billionaire owners are just gonna give you everything you want, that’s not gonna happen,” he explained, per Fox News.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, WNBA players have been vocal about their desire for change across the league, with five-time All-Star Napheesa Collier calling out WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Similarly, WNBA All-Stars chose to wear shirts with the slogan “Pay Us What You Owe Us,” further igniting calls for changes in the current CBA.