Negotiations for the WNBA collective bargaining agreement are off to a shaky start, and the players used Saturday night’s All-Star Game as an opportunity to make their stance clear.

During warm-ups ahead of the All-Star Game in Indianapolis, WNBA stars wore shirts that read “Pay Us What You Owe Us” to send a message about the CBA negotiations.

Ahead of the ESPN on ABC broadcast, WNBA Countdown host Elle Duncan asked analysts Chiney Ogwumike and Andraya Carter about the shirts: “What do you make of this move to very publicly say to the league and put them on alert, ‘We want this money’?”

WNBA players wear “Pay Us What You Owe Us” shirts ahead of the All-Star Game. 🏀💰 #WNBA pic.twitter.com/oCD1K93XgP

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 20, 2025

“First of all, that’s probably the best part of being a fan, a part of the community of the WNBA. They stand on business,” Ogwumike, a former WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) vice president, responded. “Whether it is the basketball or just advocating for themselves or their communities.

“This is probably the biggest and most impactful negotiations in the history of women’s sports. And they know the numbers. They understand that the interest is at an all-time high. Look at attendance, merchandise, revenue. And I do believe that they were caught off guard by probably the not expected initial offer. But we understand also that this is a business. But they are standing on it.”

Ogwumike and Carter noted the huge turnout by WNBA players at a CBA meeting that took place on Thursday.

“They had to bring new chairs in,” Carter said.

“I would tell you all, if not most of your favorite players, were in that meeting,” Ogwumike added.

WNBA All-Stars took the court with shirts saying “Pay Us What You Owe Us” amidst CBA discussions with the league. @sportsiren provides the latest from the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game. pic.twitter.com/a7HoRRRVkR

— ESPN (@espn) July 20, 2025

The players are also well-educated on the business, as Carter and Ogwumike explained.

“I was with Sydney Colson this morning. And she was talking to me about how the players understand business,” Carter said. “And right now, things seem like the WNBA, the commissioner, they feel like the players don’t understand business. But the players are saying, ‘No, we understand the numbers. We actually do know the numbers. And we want our pay to reflect that.’”

“And when people say, like, ‘How do you know they know business?’ It’s because they have actually a board of advisors who are leaders in multiple companies that specialize in these statistics,” Ogwumike explained. “I was a part of the last process… This last process, what you notice is people said it moved the needle, not just for women’s basketball, but women’s sports because of what they got. Paid maternity leave. They basically initiated the conversations about charter travel. There are so many items that matter to these players to codify, and I believe that, hopefully, they will get to the right solutions. But right now, the players are making a statement.”

Carter closed the discussion with this point: “I also just feel like better play is only going to help the product. You have to invest in something. You’ve got to spend money to make money. So, the players’ pay is huge.”

Led by young stars such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers, the WNBA has never been more popular and valuable, and with more league expansion to come.

Speaking to the media on Saturday before the game, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert expressed optimism that a new CBA deal will be reached.

Cathy Englebert pre-game presser. This stood out when asked about CBA mtg. ⁦@WNBA⁩ ⁦@CathyEngelbert⁩ pic.twitter.com/D04kpqgZUm

— Holly Rowe (@sportsiren) July 20, 2025

Cathy Engelbert speaks, she has “confidence” that something can get done by October, but she’s not going to put “an exact date on it.”

(the CBA expires on 10/31/25).

— Sara Jane Gamelli (@SaraJGamelli) July 19, 2025

Fans in attendance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse showed support for the players with “PAY THEM” chants as Engelbert was on the mic for the postgame All-Star Game MVP (awarded to Napheesa Collier) presentation.

Crowd chants “PAY THEM” at Cathy pic.twitter.com/68lqg18Oy6

— correlation (@nosyone4) July 20, 2025

“PAY THEM!”

Fans letting the league know after the WNBA All-Star Game 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/fjk4M5yWLP

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 20, 2025