In December, when WNBA players voted to authorize their union to call a strike amid contentious labor negotiations, it suddenly seemed possible that the 2026 season wouldn’t start on time.
It took eight days of lengthy meetings to sort out the laundry list of issues, ranging from revenue sharing to player salaries to increased benefits for players’ families. When the two sides agreed on the new collective bargaining agreement in March, both viewed it as a landmark deal for the league, and the drama finally began to fizzle out.