With the deadline for a new collective bargaining agreement looming and a deal not close to being reached, the WNBA proposed to players a 30-day extension to continue negotiations for a new deal, sources confirmed to The Post Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear, though, whether the WNBA players association will agree to the extension.<\/p>\n
As of now, the CBA is set to expire Friday and players have been bracing for a potential work stoppage as several big issues, including revenue sharing, remain unsettled.<\/p>\n
The last time a new CBA was brokered in 2019, the two sides agreed to a 60-day extension and finalized an agreement in January 2020.<\/p>\n
As of Tuesday night, a union source told The Post and other outlets that \u201cthe players may be willing to consider an extension under the right circumstances,\u201d which they say \u201cdo not yet exist.\u201d<\/p>\n
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks to the media ahead of Game 1 of the 2025 WNBA Finals. Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Post\u2019s question on what exactly the \u201cright circumstances\u201d would be was left unanswered as of this story\u2019s publication.<\/p>\n
The unresolved CBA matter was in the news earlier Tuesday, when WNBPA senior advisor and legal counsel Erin D. Drake said on The Athletic\u2019s \u201cNo Offseason\u201d podcast that an agreement wouldn\u2019t be reached by the Friday deadline.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have worked hard to be able to say on Friday, we did it. Unfortunately, that\u2019s not going to happen,\u201d Drake said on the podcast. \u201cIn a dance, it takes two to tango. And it has been difficult to find a beat, to find a rhythm and to find the same sense of urgency [from the league], just to be frank, to get this done.\u201d<\/p>\n
The WNBA said in a statement that it\u2019s been negotiating in \u201cgood faith and with urgency for several months.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The league said its most recent proposal was submitted Oct. 1, and the WNBPA hadn\u2019t responded to it until Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThroughout this process, we have been clear that our top priority is reaching a new collective bargaining agreement that addresses players\u2019 ask for significant increases in pay, benefits and enhancements to their experience, while ensuring the long-term growth and success of the league and its teams,\u201d a WNBA spokesperson said. \u201cWe urge the players association to spend less time disseminating public misinformation and more time joining us in constructive engagement across the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lynx forward Napheesa Collier dribbles past Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas in the first half during Game 2 of the second round for the 2025 WNBA playoffs. Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
The simmering clash between players and WNBA leadership, led by commissioner Cathy Engelbert, has boiled over into public view over the past few months and was stoked yet again last week following Adam Silver\u2019s comments on NBC\u2019s \u201cToday\u201d show.<\/p>\n