WNBA leadership and players met face-to-face for the first time in several months on Monday afternoon. According to Front Office Sports, the meeting lasted over three hours and was intended to facilitate direct communication between both parties, bypassing lawyers and paperwork that had been the sole means of negotiation recently. With the season set to begin on May 8th, there is limited time to finalize a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to ensure the season starts smoothly.
ESPN reported last week that the WNBA had not responded to the players’ latest proposal for more than a month. Annie Costabile of FOS added that during Monday’s meeting, the league had yet to give a formal reply but told the players it would now “start working” on their proposal.
It’s evident this meeting is unlikely to speed up the signing of a new CBA. While no one expected an immediate breakthrough, hearing that the league hasn’t even begun responding is frustrating, especially with training camp barely over two months away. It feels like a scene from TikTok — “Do you know you only have 30 minutes??”
WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike, who attended the meeting along with other members of the union’s executive committee, had hoped for a more prompt response from the league, particularly since the players submitted their proposal six weeks ago.
Last week, Ogwumike also told Breakaway’s Noah Dalzell that the players don’t feel pressured by time to compromise on contracts they believe they deserve. “Ideally, this should be done sooner, but we want a good deal, not just a quick schedule to completion,” she said. “We’re proud of what we’ve negotiated and the process, and we look forward to the outcome and the season. Our players want to play, but they also want the recognition they deserve on the court — that’s what this negotiation is about.”
The two sides still have significant differences across many key points. The league’s latest offer includes a maximum yearly salary of $1.3 million and revenue sharing based on net profits. The players countered with a request to raise the team salary cap to $10.5 million and to base revenue sharing on gross revenue rather than net income. According to FOS, top priorities for players also include improvements in salaries, income sharing, housing, retirement benefits, and what are termed “professional standards,” such as team facility conditions and staffing requirements.
With several league executives and team owners present alongside more than 40 players joining via Zoom, little tangible progress emerged from the meeting. This was the first in-person negotiation since the conclusion of the WNBA Finals in October.
Ogwumike and Alisha Clarke, vice-president of the players’ association, expressed to FOS a sense of a lack of urgency on the league’s part. Now in February, however, the league appears to be ramping up preparations for the May 8 season opener and moving forward with announcing the schedule.
The looming concern remains the possibility of a player strike. Clarke told FOS after the meeting that going on strike is “still on the table,” though several steps must occur before that becomes a reality. It seems players will wait for the league’s response — whenever that arrives — before seriously considering a strike.
If the WNBA hopes to proceed with the season as planned, both the league office and the commissioner will need to engage more actively and swiftly.
Fan Take: This ongoing stalemate is critical for WNBA fans because it directly impacts whether the season kicks off on time and under fair conditions for players. How these negotiations resolve could set a precedent for improving player rights and professionalism in women’s basketball, influencing the sport’s growth and legitimacy for years to come.
