It appears the WNBA and its athletes will not be able to negotiate a new CBA in time for the Friday, October 31, deadline. The Athletic reported the news Tuesday, October 28.
"We have worked hard to be able to say on Friday, we did it. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen," the WNBPA's senior legal counsel, Erin D. Drake, told the outlet in an interview on its "No Offseason" podcast. "In a dance, it takes two to tango. And it has been difficult to find a beat, to find a rhythm and to find the same sense of urgency (from the league), just to be frank, to get this done."
While the update is disappointing for fans and players who hoped to find resolution in time to avoid a potential 2026 lockout, it's worth breaking down exactly what led to this moment — and what the players are fighting for.
The outlet also noted that the negotiating parties will continue to meet this week to discuss the CBA, but the possibility that there will be any significant change is slim. As noted by the outlet, the players have not wavered in their minimum demands: a new system that ties their salaries to a specific percentage of revenue generated by the league (revenue the players themselves are entirely responsible for). The WNBA has countered with a proposal that includes a revenue-sharing system that is not dissimilar from what is already in place — including a fixed salary cap.
While the league's proposal would certainly increase salaries, players are hoping to address the mechanisms behind the proposal to ensure they don't have to wage a similar battle again, a smart move that appears designed to keep the league operational for years to come.
Drakea added that the WNBPA is aiming for "labor peace" but unwilling to sacrifice their demands out of concern that they will just have to re-up the battle in the future. As she put it, the players don't want to hear "next time" — they want changes now.
And that position should be more than understandable to anyone who follows and enjoys the WNBA. As much as there's plenty of chatter about how more people are watching and that the league has never been so popular, the biggest reason for that growth is the people on the court — the ones putting their bodies, hearts, and minds on the line each day. When it comes down to it, they probably deserve more than they're even asking for, and the WNBA needs to pay attention to that.