As the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement negotiations continue, NBA legend Charles Barkley had a stern warning. The TNT personality said while he wants the players to get paid, they need to keep in mind that the owners have plenty of power.
Tuesday marked a key deadline in the CBA talks as a potential target date to avoid risking a delay. The two sides have both made proposals, but there has not been common ground or concessions thus far in the union’s talks with the league.
Barkley pointed out the stalemate isn’t much of a surprise, noting the dialogue during this past WNBA season. However, he encouraged the players to tread lightly, though he made it clear they should get their due in the new agreement.
“You could see this damn train wreck coming,” Barkley said on The Steam Room. “I didn’t say anything publicly, [but] when y’all start bad-mouthing the commissioner, you have to remember one thing: The commissioner works for the owners. … I like Cathy [Engelbert], but she’s speaking for the owners. So now, I hear all these people on television for the last few months talking about, ‘You women, y’all got these dudes and y’all got the commissioner and y’all got the owners.’ I’m like, well, y’all better be careful because you know who has power? People who got damn money.
“I love the WNBA. I wish you women nothing but the best. But this notion that y’all were gonna just hold everybody’s feet to the fire and get whatever y’all wanted, that’s not the way it works. You have to make the best deal possible. But the people that got all the money, they’re going to make the rules.”
Front Office Sports’ Annie Costabile reported the WNBA and WNBPA both exchanged proposals over the weekend. No details are yet available, but FOS reported players did not seem optimistic about a deal coming together by Tuesday night.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark addressed the situation over the weekend, calling for the two sides to come together and find common ground. She encouraged the league and players’ union to figure something out with face-to-face negotiations.
“I don’t understand why we don’t just get in a room and iron it out and shake hands,” Clark said, via FOS. “That’s how business is. You look each other in the eye, you shake hands, you respect both sides. For me, that’s what I would love to see.”