Players have been vocal about what they want from a new collective bargaining agreement all season long. However, since Napheesa Collier’s explosive press conference in which she called WNBA leadership “the worst leadership in the world” and accused commissioner Cathy Engelbert of dismissing players' concerns, players have been even more direct with their messages.
The Aces also couldn’t escape the topic in their press conference after winning their third title in four years. The fans made that impossible when they booed Cathy Engelbert when she presented the championship and Finals MVP trophies after the game.
A’ja Wilson already addressed Napheesa Collier’s comments in detail in a previous press conference. This time around, her comments were less extensive. “Don’t play in our faces,” Wilson said after the Aces’ Game 4 win.
Chelsea Gray gave a more detailed answer. “When you have great players you need to treat them like that,” Gray told reporters. She also added, “You have legends that you get to witness every single day and so when you have a league full of people like that, it needs to be treated as such…that’s payment, that’s treatment, that’s revenue share…When you have players like that at the forefront of change, you have to pay them like that. You have to value them like that because there’s no league without the players.”
The Aces have some of the biggest stars
The Aces and the stars on the team are prime examples of why WNBA players deserve everything they are asking for. A’ja Wilson, a four-time champion, four-time MVP, three-time DPOY, and two-time Finals MVP, is widely regarded as the best player in the world. Jackie Young is a three-time champion, multi-time All-Star, and one of the best two-way guards in the league. Chelsea Gray has won four championships since 2016 and made a name for herself as one of the best point guards in the league. Likewise, Jewell Loyd is still undefeated in the finals and has three WNBA titles on her resume.
All of these players, like many others, have accomplished unique feats over their careers and deserve the best possible working conditions, ranging from higher pay to the best facilities and treatments.
October 31 is slowly but surely approaching
Since the players opted out of the CBA signed in 2020, it will expire on October 31. Given the very obvious conflicts between the players and league leadership, it is unlikely that they will reach a deal before then. If that is the case, the WNBA and the WNBPA can agree to an extension of the current CBA and continue the negotiations. In 2019, both sides agreed to such an extension and eventually signed a new CBA in January 2020.
Otherwise, there is always the option of a lockout. That could threaten the momentum the WNBA built over the last few years, but it might be the only choice if players’ concerns continue to not be valued by league leadership.