{"id":251491,"date":"2025-10-31T03:46:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T03:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/251491\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T03:46:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T03:46:10","slug":"wnba-cba-negotiations-update-league-players-set-extension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/251491\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA CBA Negotiations Update: League, Players Set Extension"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWith an Oct. 31 deadline looming, the WNBA<\/a> and the WNBPA agreed Thursday night to an extension of collective bargaining negotiations, preventing a potential work stoppage\u2014for now. A source with knowledge of the deal confirmed the update, which was first reported by The Athletic.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe extension will last 30 days, but the two sides still have much to hash out before preparations for the 2026 season can begin in full. Negotiations again spilled into the public last week as each side put forward its own vision for pay structure going forward.<\/p>\n

\n\tPlayers have pushed to be paid a guaranteed percentage of team and league revenue, rather than have salaries be based on a fixed salary cap with the potential for additional revenue-sharing, even if that latter setup\u2014similar to the WNBA\u2019s current structure\u2014were to bring significant pay increases. \u201cFirst, second, third is rev share,\u201d WNBPA first vice president Kelsey Plum recently told\u00a0The Athletic.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe union\u2019s proposed model would move the league closer to how several major men\u2019s sports divvy up money, ensure players benefit from future W growth and likely lead to more transparency into team finances.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut W\u2014and NBA\u2014leaders have pushed back.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe all agree we\u2019re trying to return every dollar we possibly can to the players,\u201d WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert<\/a> said before the 2025 Finals, \u201cbut we also want to incentivize investment from owners. We want owners to have a viable business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn particular, she mentioned ensuring that the league\u2019s structure was enticing to potential\u00a0new owners as the WNBA looks to continue expanding.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNBA commissioner Adam Silver said \u201c\u2018share\u2019 isn\u2019t the right way to look at [WNBA pay] because there\u2019s so much more revenue in the NBA\u2026 [WNBA players] are going to get a big increase in this cycle of collective bargaining and they deserve it.\u201d The WNBPA followed up by posting a part of Silver\u2019s comments on Instagram with the caption, \u201cDon\u2019t want to share?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLater that day, WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson was more direct in a statement provided to\u00a0Sportico.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen the players opted out a year ago, they made it clear they wanted a salary system that values their labor<\/a> and allows them to grow with the business they are very clearly driving,\u201d she said. \u201cThe league\u2019s response has been to run out the clock, put lipstick on a pig, and retread a system that isn\u2019t tied to any part of the business and intentionally undervalues the players.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was then the WNBA\u2019s turn to respond.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt is incorrect and surprising that the Players Association is claiming that the WNBA has not offered an uncapped revenue-sharing model that is directly tied to the league\u2019s performance,\u201d a spokesperson for the league said in a statement. \u201cIt is frustrating and counterproductive for the union to be making misrepresentations about our proposals while also accusing the league of engaging in delay. That is simply not true. \u2026\u00a0 the Players Association has yet to offer a viable economic proposal and has repeatedly refused to engage in any meaningful way on many of our proposal terms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs conversations continue, each side\u2019s unity is likely to be tested. For now, leaders on both sides have said they do not want a work stoppage to disrupt the WNBA\u2019s explosive growth. In 2019, the sides similarly agreed to an extension before ultimately signing a deal at the beginning of January.<\/p>\n

\n\tBeyond compensation, other potential sticking points include limitations on players joining other leagues, facility standards across the WNBA, and retirement benefits. But beyond those issues, figuring out how WNBA players ought to be compensated for their role in driving the league\u2019s growth remains the largest challenge ahead.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With an Oct. 31 deadline looming, the WNBA and the WNBPA agreed Thursday night to an extension of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":251492,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,11628,1571,82,630],"class_list":{"0":"post-251491","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cathy-engelbert","11":"tag-labor","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-wnba"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}