Though it seems the WNBA is on the brink of negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the WNBPA, what's also clear is that those conversations have not been easy — and the players are making sure they stay focused on their end goals.
WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson told reporters Friday that though things are moving in a good direction, both sides "still have a lot of items to get done." One thing that does seem to be clear is that the league understands "transformational remains the goal."
Jackson also acknowledged the league's shifting deadlines and described them as "quite arbitrary."
There are a lot of key issues to work out
Despite reports of progress between the WNBA and WNBPA, ESPN reporter Alexa Philippou reported Saturday on social media. Per Philippou, the parties have not yet begun conversations about the biggest issue — revenue sharing — and instead have been hammering out details about smaller, more ancillary concerns.
In addition to revenue sharing, housing is another major concern for the players and is set to be among Saturday's topics. Front Office Sports, whose reporter Annie Costabile is also on the ground in New York, noted WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike has addressed the housing discussions head-on.
“The fact we are here talking about housing shows that we care about every single player—in the same way that we do about revenue share,” WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said. “It’s very important for us to nail those two things down, which is the biggest thing on the agenda today.”
The WNBA and WNBPA have exchanged several proposals recently
Costabile also noted that Friday's conversation was 15 hours, and Saturday's talks began at 1 p.m. EST. At least 15 proposals have been passed between the parties between Tuesday and Saturday.
The contents of the newest proposals have not been shared publicly. Per information available to the public, the league has proposed a payment system that would give the players roughly 70% of net revenue (which amounts to near 15% of gross), and the players have proposed a system that would give them approximately 26% of gross revenue.
Once a new CBA is locked in, the league can move forward with other pressing business. This includes the expansion drafts for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, free agency that will include roughly 96% of the WNBA, and the 2026 WNBA Draft, which will bring a new class of rookies into the league. The 2026 season is expected to begin on May 8.