The second season of Unrivaled will begin in Miami, Florida, in early January. That will mean that dozens of WNBA players will be reunited — many for the first time in months — and, undoubtedly, the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations will be discussed.
The first season of Unrivaled proved to be a bit of a hotspot for player-on-player recruitment, something that became clear as athletes like Brittney Griner announced big moves from one team to another while they were enjoying the sights and scenes in Miami. As discussed by Yahoo Sports' Hoops 360 hosts Caroline Fenton and Cassandra Negley this week, fans can expect much of the same to take place in 2026.
The pair explained that because the players, who each have a vote in whether or not the WNBPA opts to take further action that could move them toward a strike ahead of the 2026 season, will be around one another, conversations about the CBA are inevitable. Unrivaled was celebrated for offering an experience that no other professional women's basketball league has consistently provided after the league made its debut last year, and being back together could galvanize the players in a way that might be a concern to the league.
The duo also compared what could happen during Unrivaled to what happens during WNBA All-Star, which takes place midseason. As fans saw this year, the players wore shirts that read "Pay us what you owe us" and used the media attention to draw focus to what they are arguing in favor of during CBA negotiations.
"Talks can go quicker," Negley said. "You heard that from players that what disappointed them most was that they had so many people in the room, and they felt like they didn't make progress. So Unrivaled certainly allows them to have kind of like, I think about it in college, like you can just walk down the hallway and see your best friend and then you become an adult, you don't get to. So like for the players, it is a huge boost."
Discussions at Unrivaled could also work in the WNBA's favor
But the pair were quick to point out that such conversations "can go both ways."
"I think maybe they become steadfast and say like, you know, we're even more united on this and we're not going to budge or maybe all of these different minds being in one room together and being able to communicate quicker, they can be creative and come to a different way to see it or what have you," Negley explained.
WNBA players voted to give the Executive Committee the authority to call a 2026 strike ahead of next season Thursday, the union representing the athletes announced. The members of the WNBPA explained the vote, which 98% of the players supported, in a statement shared on social media.