The likelihood of the 2026 WNBA season being delayed grows with each day that passes. Over a year ago, the WNBPA (Women’s National Basketball Players Association) and the league began negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), but an agreement remains elusive. As discussions drag into the second month of the year, Brianna Stewart, the union\u2019s vice president, finds herself navigating a particularly challenging situation, balancing multiple roles.<\/p>\n
In 2025, Stewart partnered with Nafeesa Collier to create a new 3\u00d73 women\u2019s basketball league, offering players a chance to earn income during the offseason while staying in the U.S. Now, as vice president of the WNBPA and co-owner of Unrivaled, Stewart faces criticism amid concerns about potential conflicts of interest. On Monday, she addressed these concerns directly.<\/p>\n
In a recent podcast with NBA center Myles Turner, Stewart clarified her stance on the perceived tension between the WNBA and Unrivaled. \u201cI know a lot of people kind of hate that I\u2019m part of Unrivaled and negotiating with the WNBA,\u201d Stewart said, \u201cbut I want to be successful at both. I see this from a business perspective and how things can benefit everyone. Unrivaled only brings positive exposure to players because it highlights them on social media, at games, and elsewhere\u2014something that is often lacking during the WNBA summer season.\u201d<\/p>\n
The WNBPA broke away from the previous CBA to push for improved salaries and revenue sharing that reflect the league\u2019s rapid growth. While the league\u2019s latest offer would raise player earnings substantially, the union argues that it still undervalues the players\u2019 contributions. This is where Unrivaled plays a role.<\/p>\n
In 2025, Unrivaled paid players an average annual salary of about $220,000\u2014a figure that reportedly increased in 2026\u2014compared to the WNBA\u2019s average yearly salary of around $120,000. Although the WNBA will offer a maximum salary of nearly $1.3 million and an average of $540,000 in 2026, players want more, fearing short-term contracts won\u2019t keep pace with the league\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n
This gap has sparked criticisms about Stewart\u2019s dual involvement, with some questioning a conflict of interest. However, Stewart and Collier view Unrivaled not as competition but as a successful proof of concept.<\/p>\n
Nafeesa Collier highlighted this perspective on January 5, the opening day of Unrivaled\u2019s second season. Although sidelined due to ankle surgery, Collier connected the league\u2019s early achievements with the ongoing WNBA CBA talks, noting in an interview that the 3\u00d73 league serves as a model the WNBA could learn from. \u201cWe\u2019ve heard a lot about how what we want isn\u2019t sustainable for business,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing on this side of Unrivaled, I know what it takes to run a sustainable business. If you can\u2019t find a model, then you need the right people, because we\u2019re proving that it can be done\u2014and we\u2019re successful at it.\u201d<\/p>\n
From player pay to increased visibility and operational effectiveness, the offseason league demonstrates that a player-first approach can succeed without sacrificing sustainability.<\/p>\n
The WNBA and WNBPA held their first meeting in months on Monday, with Stewart participating virtually. Although the session allowed for open conversations and direct questions, no agreement was reached. Should this deadlock persist, postponing next season appears unavoidable.<\/p>\n
Fan Take:<\/strong> This ongoing impasse is critical for WNBA fans because it directly threatens the future of the upcoming season, delaying the chance to see their favorite players compete. Moreover, how this negotiation resolves could set a precedent for athlete empowerment and financial fairness in women\u2019s sports, potentially reshaping the landscape of professional basketball.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The likelihood of the 2026 WNBA season being delayed grows with each day that passes. Over a year ago, the WNBPA (Women’s National Basketball Players Association) and the league began negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), but an agreement remains elusive. As discussions drag into the second month of the year, Brianna Stewart, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[491],"tags":[39,64],"class_list":{"0":"post-41426","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-nba"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}